Yesterday in Tomorrow
by Chameleon777
Summary: Sequel the first movie. What if there was a little more to history? When a near-deadly transport accident occurs, history is made, damaged, and forever rewritten to hide deep secrets. Disclaimer: I only own the original characters and plots.
1. Aftermath's Beginnings

"We've just been given the all clear by Starfleet, Captain," Nyota Uhura said, as she lingered at her station.

James T. Kirk, newly promoted Captain of the Enterprise, smiled, "Engage whenever you want to," he said, as he strode across the bridge and sat in the Captain's chair. "We're in no hurry."

Uhura nodded and pressed a few buttons on her console. Within moments, the ship had set off into space.

From the First Officer's seat, Spock glanced at Kirk stoically, "Captain, I anticipate that we'll be somewhat late for our mission if we don't go to warp," he stated, raising an eyebrow at his captain.

"Spock, my ever-so-logical friend," Kirk said with an air of casualness in his voice. "It's only a diplomatic appearance to the Porthos colony. Even if we're a bit late for cocktails and random mingling, we'll still be there in plenty of time to found the city like Admiral Archer asked us to. I'm sure that while he's wishing he could come, there are more _attractive matters on his plate of life right now."_

_Spock sighed, "You should not make light of the Admiral's ascension to President of the United Federation of Planets," he stated in an almost scolding tone. "It is a prestigious honor for one such as Archer."_

"_Yeah, I'm sure everyone thinks so," Kirk snapped, a bit jealous that they couldn't be there to witness the ceremonies for themselves. "I wish Archer luck in his terms as Federation President. He'll need it."_

"_You sound jealous, Captain," Spock observed, taking note of Kirk's disposition. "I would also consider it a great honor to be given this mission. Admiral Archer must hold us in high regard to entrust us with it."_

_Kirk scoffed, "The only reason that Archer gave this assignment to Enterprise was because he wanted Scotty to do some pennance for making his do disappear since he came out of exile," he stated, glaring at his first officer. "He wanted to make sure Scotty wasn't around to ruin the inauguration ceremony."_

_Before Spock could reply, there was a beep, "This is Captain Kirk," Kirk said, as he tapped his combadge. "Who is this and what seems to be the problem?"_

_Cap'n, Scotty here," a thick Scottish accent said over the link. "I need ye to come down tae the Transporter Room," he said in a rather urgent tone. "There's an urgent mattah that we need to discuss."_

_Clicking the combadge off, Kirk sighed and got to his feet, "Spock, you have the bridge until I return," he ordered, as he quickly walked off the bridge._

_As he made his way through the ship, Kirk was annoyed. He knew that ever since they had gotten back to Earth with Pike, Scotty had been trying to fine tune his transporter experiments. Archer had wanted nothing to do with it and had kept his distance from Scotty and instead had focused on more important professional and personal matters that consumed his life, yet made him seem more personable._

"_Scotty, this had better be important," Kirk said, as he entered the Transporter Room and saw Scotty lingering near the transport pad, looking rather anxious._

"_Cap'n, there is no easy way tae say this," Scotty began, nervousness in his voice._

_Before Scotty could continue, however, a young beagle came running out from behind Scotty and without warning, jumped eagerly into Kirk's arms._

_Kirk looked at the beagle and then at Scotty, "I'm assuming this is Archer's beagle, Porthos," he said, shocked. "How did Porthos get here with us?"_

_Scotty shrugged, "I came in here to start me shift and he was sitting on the platform howlin awae," he replied. "Should we call the Admiral and tell him?"_

_At the mention of contacting Archer, Kirk immediately shook his head, "No, there's no reason to contact Archer about this right now," he said, as he fought to keep from getting licked by the enthusiastic Porthos. "Let's proceed with our mission and I'll look after Porthos until we return to Earth. Return to your duty."_

_Scotty nodded and hurried out of the room. Kirk stared at the beagle, which wagged his tail eagerly. _

_Kirk sighed, he would be fine with Porthos for the time being. No sense in contacting Archer, as he would immediately recall them to Earth and ruin their mission. It was better to wait until afterwards, as there was too much going on with the Archer family and the Federation's Presidential inauguration coming up._

"_Well, Porthos," Kirk said, as he carried the beagle from the room. "Let's go feed you, shall we?"_


	2. Founding of a Bright Era

"Jon…Jon….Jonathan…it's time to get up, lazybones," a soft voice cooed in the darkness.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light and Admiral Jonathan Archer stretched and gazed over to the spot next to him. He was both surprised and dismayed to find the pillow ruffled and the blanket moved back.

"Jonathan, I'm on the intercom," the soft voice said again. "I'm in the kitchen, hurry up."

Groaning, Jonathan kicked off his covers, revealing a white t-shirt and gray sweatpants, and begrudgingly got out of bed. Yawning he left his bedroom, which was decorated richly.

"Arianne?" Jonathan asked, as he shuffled through the living room, which was decorated with the finest furnishings of the current era. "Where are you, Imzadi?"

As he entered the large kitchen, a blonde haired woman, who was wearing a blue robe, and standing at a futuristic stove, turned around and her blue eyes sparkled as she gazed at her husband, "I borrowed your robe this morning, Jon," she said, as she kept one eye on a pan of scrambled eggs. "I hope you don't mind."

"Are you still feeling flu-ish this morning?" Jonathan asked, as he gave her a gentle hug and moved over to the white table, where half a dozen PADD's awaited him.

Determining that the eggs were done, Arianne turned the stove off and moved the eggs on to plates, "I'm not feeling very good this morning, Jon," she admitted, as she brought the plates of eggs to the table and set them down. "I think the stress of the upcoming inauguration is getting to me finally."

Jon nodded and began to eat, "I was wondering why you made food from scratch this morning," he said gently, secretly enjoying the home-cooked meal. "I'm feeling nervous about the ceremony as well. I helped build the Federation up and now, I'm going to be President of it…."

Arianne nodded and suddenly, placing a hand over her mouth, she bolted from the kitchen. Suddenly, there was a thump and then silence. Concerned, Jonathan got up from the table and went looking for his wife.

* * *

"How many times do I have to tell you?!" Arianne snapped, as she lay on a bio bed at Starfleet Medical. "I'm FINE, Jonathan! We don't have time for this right now, the ceremony is this evening and you need to finish your speech, we need to plan the gathering and everything else!"

Jonathan sighed and gently caressed his wife's hand. He had found her unconscious on the bathroom floor of their apartment and without hesitation, he had abandoned breakfast and, throwing a civilian jacket on, he had brought her over to Starfleet Medical in a shuttle. Now, they were awaiting Phlox's arrival.

Since they had arrived, Arianne had regained consciousness after Starfleet nurses had given her fluids for dehydration, and, after being told she was not allowed to leave, she had verbally unleashed a tirade of frustration on to her husband, who took it quietly.

"You were unconscious for an hour," Jonathan patiently told Arianne. "We need to find out why that happened. The inaguration isn't for hours yet, and you are more important than anything right now."

Arianne sighed, "I'm probably stressed about the whole ceremony, just like you are," she argued. "We honestly need to get out of here and on with our day. There is no time just to sit around."

Jonathan chuckled, "You haven't changed a bit since you served on Enterprise," he said, smiling at his wife. "Even when you were off official duty, I remember that you always were finding things to keep you busy."

Arianne glared at him, but, before she could reply, the doors to the examination room slid open and Phlox strolled into the room. He smiled at Jonathan and was secretly amused at Arianne's glare to her husband.

"Hello, Phlox," Arianne said, as she squeezed Jonathan's hand. "I'm feeling a little off today."

Jonathan raised an eyebrow, "You fainted after running from the kitchen," he said, not surprised by Arianne's underplaying of her illness, as she was a very tough woman. "You've been sick for a while."

Arianne scoffed, "Don't be so overprotective, Jonathan," she scolded. "It's nothing serious, I'm sure."

Jonathan sighed, "Phlox, my wife is very stubborn today," he admitted. "I know you probably have a busy schedule today before attending the inauguration later. Please tell me that it's nothing serious."

Phlox smiled, "Well, from what information I've gathered from just talking to her and with the Starfleet nurses, I'd say I can now make an accurate diagnosis," the Denobulan said, amused by the look of exasperation on Jonathan's face. "Admiral, you are going to be a father."

At the mention of parenthood, both Jonathan and Arianne were shocked, "What?!" they both said at the same time, their hands clasped tightly together. They weren't sure they heard him right.

Remaining silent, Phlox pulled a screen down, "You might want to lay still for a few moments," he said, as he fiddled with some buttons on the screen. "We'll see how far along you are."

"This can't be possible," Arianne gasped, as she lay flat on the biobed. "You told me that I couldn't have children a long time ago back when I first started serving on the Enterprise."

Phlox said nothing and studied the screen intently for a moment, "From what I see here, you're about four weeks along," he said, giving the couple a reassuring smile. "Everything seems to be okay."

Jonathan exhaled, relieved. Ever since he and Arianne had married six years ago, just weeks after the death of Trip Tucker, they had not expected children because of Arianne's news and Jonathan's age. Instead, they worked on building a marriage of love, trust, and understanding, accepting that they would never have kids.

However, with Phlox's sudden revelation, a new seed of hope sprang into their already strong marriage.

"It's absolutely a miracle," Jonathan said, as he moved over to Phlox and looked at the screen. "I didn't think that the Archer name would go beyond myself. This will be an unforgettable day for us."

Phlox smiled and, turning off the screen, he moved it out of the way, "You'll need to have several checkups in the first and second trimesters to make sure that things are progressing normally," he said, watching as Jonathan moved and sat next to Arianne on the bio bed. "Let me offer my heartfelt congratulations."

A combination of shock and delight washed over Jonathan and Arianne as they sat there, holding each other. Phlox smiled and moved out of the room to collect a prenatal kit and to give them a little privacy.

Once in a lifetime, miracles occurred and that miracle had happened today.

* * *

"May I present Admiral Jonathan Archer and his wife, Lieutenant Commander Arianne Archer, the incumbent President and First Lady of the United Federation of Planets," Admiral Monroe, one of the many Starfleet personnel who supported this action, announced from the podium in the Starfleet Conference Hall.

A sea of applause and cheers rang out as Jonathan and Arianne, both dressed in dress uniforms with newly polished rank pips, entered the Hall. While Jonathan's hair was combed and slicked, Arianne's hair was done up in an elaborate fashion, with a few strands descending down her back.

As they held hands, Jonathan smiled and cordially waved to various people in the crowd as they made their way across the floor and up to the podium, where many people sat, eager for the ceremony to commence.

"Now, if everyone will be seated, we'll proceed directly with the swearing in ceremony," Admiral Forrest ordered, as the couple walked up to the pulpit. "This is truly a monumental day for all of us."

There was a flurry of noise as the crowd retook their seats. After a few moments, it was completely silent.

Admiral Monroe produced an old Bible, which was a most appropriate symbol for such an occasion of swearing one's honor, despite the fact that Archer himself didn't emphasize religion in his life.

Jonathan smiled as Admiral Monroe held out the Bible. With Arianne holding his other hand, which was a great comfort to him, Jonathan placed his free hand on the Bible's cold surface. Knowing what was to come next, Arianne released his hand and instead wrapped her arm around his waist, which he smiled at.

"Repeat after me, Admiral Archer," Admiral Monroe instructed. "I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United Federation of Planets, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Charter of the Federation."

Jonathan sighed, "I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United Federation of Planets, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Charter of the Federation," he repeated, trying to keep his facial expression serious, when inside he was rejoicing.

Admiral Monroe took the Bible and placing it under his arm, he turned to the crowd, "I hereby present Admiral Jonathan Archer, President of the United Federation of Planets."

While the crowd roared it's approval, Jonathan shook hands with all of the others on the podium and then, in a dashing move of chivalry, swept Arianne, who was taken by surprise, off of her feet in a deep kiss.

After a few moments of noise, everyone sat down and became quiet. Continuing to hold hands, Jonathan and Arianne sat down while Admiral Monroe remained at the podium.

"Following some brief remarks by myself, we will be treated to a viewing of the founding ceremonies of the Porthos colony, broadcast live from space and led by none other than Captain James Tiberus Kirk," Admiral Monroe stated. "Following the viewing, various individuals involved in Archer's career, who had some kind of impact upon him or were impacted by his examples, will make remarks."

As Admiral Monroe began to speak about his experiences with Jonathan Archer, as well as his feelings on the day, Jonathan and Arianne gazed around at the massive crowd.

Among the many present, they could see most of senior staff they had served with on the Enterprise, all except T'Pol, who, they both knew, hated crowds and would probably offer congratulations at a later time in private and Trip Tucker, who's memory was firmly implanted in both of their hearts on this day; General Shran with his wife Jhamel and young daughter, Talla; a large crowd of Vulcan officials, including Ambassador Soval were also present. All who were gathered were truly enjoying what the day brought.

Soon enough, Admiral Monroe finished his remarks and sat. There was subsequent applause.

As Kirk cut the ribbon and placed a Federation flag in the ground at the Porthos colony, the crowd, who gazed at the screen with a fierce intensity, broke into loud cheers and enthusiastic applause.

Arianne rested her head on Jonathan's shoulder and Jonathan put one arm around his wife and placed his other hand on her stomach. They shared a tender look and then resumed watching the broadcast.

The future of all, especially of their unborn offspring, would benefit from the Federation's growth.


	3. Into Thin Air

Nearly a week later, Jonathan had finally gotten through all of the first duties and ceremonial obligations that came with being newly christened Federation President and now, even though he wanted to take Arianne and go off to Risa for a rest, he was begrudgingly meeting with Captain Kirk for a debriefing.

After an equally long week of celebration and diplomacy talks to establish the basic government and economic structures of the Porthos colony, Kirk's Enterprise had returned from their mission.

Now, despite the early hour, Jonathan was in his office, waiting for Kirk and hoping that discussing the Porthos colony, which was affectionately named after his missing beagle, wouldn't take too long.

Arianne had gotten up with him, but, because it had been so busy for the past week for both of them, she had met with Phlox to collect a month's worth of prenatal care items. She had promised to come and spend time with him in his office after her appointment, but didn't know how long she would be.

"President Archer, Captain Kirk is here to see you now," a voice suddenly sounded out over the office intercom.

Jonathan nodded, "Good, send him in," he said, rising from his desk.

The doors slid open and a tired Kirk entered the room and strode over to where Jonathan stood, "President Archer, it's good to see you adapting to office so well," Kirk said, extending his hand.

Kirk had left Porthos with Dr. McCoy, as having him present would cause a distraction from the purpose at hand. Despite saying that he was NOT a veterinarian, but a doctor, McCoy had accepted the responsibility.

"It's a change, but I'm getting used to it," Jonathan said, as the two men shook hands. "Please have a seat, Captain. I'm anxious to hear how the founding week on the Porthos colony went."

Both men sat and Kirk smiled, "The christening itself went beautifully," he said, pulling several PADD's from his pocket and placing them on the desk. "Doctor McCoy had quite a time training the citizens in Earth medical procedures and protocols, they are very reliant on herbal medicines out there."

"Well, since you mentioned the medical, why don't we start from there?" Jonathan suggested, as he picked up one of the PADDs from the pile on the table.

Kirk nodded and the two men began to discuss the structures of the newly formed Porthos colony.

* * *

"I'm glad to hear your husband is delighted at the prospect of parenthood," Phlox said, as Arianne got up from the biobed after an exam to determine what prenatal treatment would be necessary. "Have you told any family or friends about your joyous news yet?"

Arianne smiled, "We told the most of the former senior staff of his Enterprise at the grand dinner two nights ago and they were absolutely thrilled. "We don't know of anyone else to confide in yet."

Phlox smiled, "Well, I believe, based on the examinations, I have complied some appropriate prenatal treatments for you," he said, as he handed her a small, carefully prepared bag. "That's a week's worth of the vitamins and such. Come back next week and we'll see how things are progressing."

Arianne nodded and taking the bag, she slipped it into her travel satchel that she used when going through day-to-day activities, "Phlox, I talked with Jonathan after the inaguration ceremony and we agreed that we'd like you to be the baby's godfather. We couldn't think of anyone better for the job."

Walking over to another medical cabinet, which held his personal effects, Phlox smiled, "I would be more than honoured to take that role," he said, opening the cabinet. "While you're here, I have something that might be of interest to you and your husband."

Continuing to smile, Phlox took out a large laptop-like case and brought it over to Arianne, "I have some crew pictures and also the ones of your wedding celebrations," he said, extending the case to her.

Arianne smiled and immediately put the case into her bag, "Oh, Phlox, thank you so much for these," she gratefully said. "After the wedding, there was so much for us to do that we never got around to those."

Phlox smiled, "You're very welcome," he said. "I hope you have a pleasant day."

Gripping her bag tenderly, Arianne smiled at Phlox and left the building.

* * *

"Well, Captain Kirk, you and your crew seem to have done a formidable job in establishing the roots of the Porthos colony," Jonathan said, as he gathered up the PADD's and filed them in a desk drawer. "I'm glad that your Enterprise was able to take that mission on such short notice."

Even though he KNEW that Archer had ordered them on the mission because of Scotty's making Porthos disappear, Kirk managed a tight smile, "It was certainly not a problem, sir," he said.

Just then, Arianne, who had come to the office straight from Starfleet Medical, arrived. When she saw that Kirk was still there, she lingered in the doorway silently, not wanting to interfere with her husband's work.

"Come on in, Arianne," Jonathan said, smiling as he motioned for his lovely wife. "You remember Captain Kirk, right? Him and his crew just returned from founding the Porthos colony."

Arianne edged into the room and gave Kirk a terse smile, which he returned.

OF COURSE she remembered James Tiberus Kirk, the chauvinistic pig, she thought, as she moved to stand beside Jonathan. Kirk was a playboy and always used to flirt with her heavily. However, she had to be polite now for the sake of diplomacy and, secondly, so Jonathan wouldn't beat the daylights out of him.

"Um, President Archer, there's something I wanted to ask you about," Kirk suddenly spoke up. "Scotty is down in Starfleet Science, working on some experiments with transporting," he explained. "Could you perhaps come down to the labs and help him work on the theories?"

Jonathan sighed, "I really don't have a lot of experience in that area," he lied, not wanting to admit that he just did not want to see Scotty after Porthos disappeared into thin air. "I haven't got time to right now."

Knowing full well that her husband was lying, as he had experience in ALL Starfleet areas, Arianne placed a hand on his shoulder and when he looked at her, she gazed straight into his eyes with a womanly glare.

"Actually, I have a little time right at the moment," Jonathan said, looking away from his wife's intense stare that calmed him a great deal. "Tell Mr. Scott that Arianne and I would both love to see his work."

Kirk nodded and with a pleased look, he left the room in a hurry.

Arianne smiled at Jonathan and stroked his cheek gently, "Oh, Jonathan, my Imzadi," she cooed. "I love you so much. These last six years with you have been amazing and I hope for many more."

Jonathan smiled and quickly, the two were locked in a powerful embrace of both arms and lips.

* * *

"Sae ye see, Admeeral," Scotty said, as he moved behind the transporter console. "I've figured out how tae transport things over a long distance that have complex matter within them."

Kirk sighed and silently watched, but Arianne was slightly intrigued, "Complex matter?" she asked. "You mean you've figured out how to transport people farther than just from the ship or station to a surface?"

Archer scoffed, "So, let me get this straight," he said, trying to keep his temper in check. "You've figured out how you accidentally made Porthos disappear? Have you figured out a way to retrieve him yet, by the way?"

Arianne gently laid a hand on Jonathan's arm, "Jon, control yourself, please," she admonished. "I'm sorry, Montgomery, Jonathan has missed Porthos dearly, as have I, and he frets about it all of the time."

"I 'avent been able to find a way to bring him back yet," Scotty replied apologetically, not wanting archer to know that the beagle was with McCoy at the moment, as he really wanted to show off his work. "Perhaps if I send a probe into the transporter, it could find oot where tha beagle is."

As Scotty grabbed a dormant probe from a storage locker, Kirk gazed at Archer and it was clear that although his wife seemed intrigued by the experiments, the President was very frustrated by them.

"I'll just place a probe on the pad and activate it," Scotty explained, as he did exactly what he was saying. "Then, I'll activate tha transporter and try to beam the probe to locate tha beegle's DNA."

While Scotty activated the transporter and programmed it to send the probe after Porthos, Jonathan rolled his eyes, but said nothing. Arianne smiled and gazed at the probe, this was intriguing to her.

"All right, I'm sending the probe off now," Scotty said, as he beamed the probe off the pad.

For a moment, there was silence. Scotty looked delighted that the experiment had worked.

Then, suddenly, rapid beeping and a loud whooshing sound filled the room and as the probe came back, there was a large explosion that engulfed the room in transport matter and smoke.

"Hang on, I'm ventilating the room!" Kirk shouted through the smoke. "There.."

The smoke quickly cleared. However, Arianne was no longer in the room, nor was any trace of her things.

Jonathan gasped as he saw transport matter, colored like his wife's bag, disappear into thin air.

"What have you done with my wife?" Jonathan said, suddenly becoming angry as he grabbed Scotty by the collar and pinned him against the nearest wall. "Where did you send her?!"

Nobody knew it at the time, but retrieving Arianne Archer would be much easier said than actually done.


	4. Fractures Emerge

"Okay, Tom, Harry, I want you to go and see if you can find any resources for the ship in those nearby caves," Chakotay ordered. "Seven and I will look around on the surface."

While on their ever long journey back to the Alpha Quadrant, Voyager's scanners had come across an uninhabited Class M planet that nobody, not even Neelix, knew anything about.

While Voyager's crew was able to make some needed repairs in orbit, Captain Janeway had ordered an Away Team to beam down and search for anything that might be useful for their journey.

As first officer, Chakotay had immediately assigned Harry and Tom to the away team and at Janeway's request, Seven, as she thought that Seven would benefit from being treated like the rest of the crew and given opportunities. Immediately, the Team had come across some caves among the Earth-like terrain.

Harry Kim, although he was a sharp Ensign, trembled at the thought at being in strange caves, "Sir, request permission to explore for resources out here." he asked, gazing at the Chakotay, who looked amused.

"C'mon, Harry, don't tell me you're afraid of some strange caves," Tom Paris, the ambitious helmsman of Voyager said, clapping his friend on the back. "Looking at some strange caves will be fun."

With a sigh, Harry nodded and begrudgingly followed Tom into the caves. They were very cold and damp, despite the outside heat. Although it was strange, it was a relief to both officers as they moved inward.

"I'm reading a human life sign, but the signal's faint," Harry suddenly spoke up, as he moved his tricorder around the cave. "It's coming from 80 yards away."

Quickly, Tom and Harry followed the signal and then, they were shocked as they suddenly came upon an unconscious blonde haired woman, dressed in an old uniform and wearing rank pips. A sealed bag was with her, the strap resting across her body. Harry scanned the woman with concern.

"Her vital signs are all over the place, I can't get a clear reading," Harry said, as he struggled to make sense of the unusual readings he was getting from the tricorder.

Tom sighed and tapped his combadge, "Paris to Voyager, we've got a medical emergency," he said. "Two to beam directly to Sickbay."

"What's wrong, Mr. Paris?" Janeway's voice sounded out from the badge. "Is the away team in trouble?"

"We've come across an unconscious woman who appears to be human," Tom explained. "I'm requesting to be beamed to Sickbay with her. I can help the Doctor in figuring things out."

"Agreed, Mr. Paris," Janeway said through the combadge. "Prepare to be beamed to sickbay with her."

Harry spoke up, "I'll let the Commander know," he said.

As he and the woman disappeared in the transporter energy, Paris nodded and looked towards the woman.

Hopefully, Harry thought, as he moved to rejoin Chakotay and Seven outside, the woman would be all right.

* * *

Approximately 200 years earlier, the main interrogation room in Starfleet Security was abuzz with activity.

Ever since Arianne had disappeared in the transporter explosion, Jonathan, who had to be restrained and calmed from beating the living pulp out of Scotty for taking the two things dearest to his heart away, had swung into President mode and ordered the detainment of Kirk, Scotty, and Kirk's entire crew.

Fortunately for Scotty and Kirk, there had only been a bit of Arianne's DNA left in the transporter, which meant that, although there was an explosion, she was not dead, just transported off somewhere.

However, even though his wife was alive somewhere, Jonathan was furious, "Captain Kirk, I want to know why, as respected as you seem to be, you can't keep a strict leash on what the members of your crew do when they are both on and off the ship," he snapped, trying to restrain himself from beating the snot out of the idiotic engineer. "There are some things that should not be allowed in spare time."

Several security officers were gathered in a line against the wall, awaiting their orders. Archer had specifically requested the presence of them and they knew that it was not only to keep him from unleashing a physical fury on Kirk and Scotty, but also to help execute proper justice.

"Cap'n, I surely didn' mean tae make yer wife disappear into theen air!" Scotty exclaimed. "I thought the probe would go intae space and do its job!"

Jonathan took a deep breath, "This situation can't be fixed by a simple apology," he said gravely. "I'll have you know that my wife is five weeks pregnant and because of your careless experiments, she might have been hurt in the transport and the baby might be gone. That means you are possibly guilty of murder."

"President, I would like to know when we are going to be released to return to the ship," Kirk spoke up suddenly, annoyed that Archer was allowing emotion to control his decision making unnecessarily. "We have repairs to make and then we need to return to space for further exploration."

At Kirk's mention of wanting to be released, Jonathan grew so furious that he slammed his fist down on the glass interrogation table, causing it to crack, "YOU THINK I ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT YOUR SHIP AND YOUR DESIRE TO EXPLORE SPACE NOW?! he roared, absolutely furious with the casualness of Kirk at a time like this. "AFTER WHAT YOU DID TO MY WIFE, ALL YOU CAN THINK ABOUT IS GOING BACK TO YOUR SHIP, MAKING REPAIRS, THEN GOING ON A SPACE JOYRIDE?!"

Taking a step back, Jonathan heaved a deep sigh. Arianne, wherever she was now, would not want him to lose his temper on account of another's carelessness. No, she would want him to act professionally.

"The only exploring you two are going to do will be in the brig," Jonathan said, brushing his hand over the crack in the table. "Until further notice, the Enterprise NCC-1701 will be on decommission status, the crew reassigned to different duties, and you two will be detained in the Starfleet Security brig."

Scotty looked aghast, but nodded, quietly accepting his punishment as a security officer came over and shacked his wrists together with man-made handcuffs.

Kirk, however, looked angry, "You can't be serious about decommissioning the Enterprise and locking us up!" he shouted, trying to fight the security officer who was trying to cuff him. "Without evidence, your claims are unfounded and downright idiotic!"

Jonathan glared at Kirk, "As Federation President, I am allowed to enable the powers of judiciary law in special circumstances, like this one here," he snapped. "While you are being detained, I will be personally overseeing the investigation into the explosion and my wife's disappearance. I am certainly not foolish enough to allow you and your crew to cavort off into space and experiment further after you have committed a serious crime. Now, please, officers, remove them from my sight at once.

As the officers led Kirk and Scotty away, Jonathan turned and studied the crack in the table.

It would never be whole again without some serious work. The same could be said for his life now.

A tear rolled down Jonathan's face. Would he ever see his beloved Imzadi and unborn child again?


	5. Shattering Discoveries

"_Mr. Paris, you are late for your duty shift. This is the third time this week."_

"_Sorry, Doc, B'Elanna wanted to talk. She's wanting to become serious with me."_

"_Mr. Paris, keep the romanticism out of Sickbay."_

Arianne's eyes fluttered and she opened her eyes. She could feel a biobed underneath her body.

From her position, Arianne could see a Starfleet doctor and what looked like a command officer hovering over a console, arguing about something. It was strange to see a command officer in a medical bay.

Ah, Arianne realized, she had probably been knocked unconscious in the transport accident and Jonathan, as caring as he was, had probably gotten her to Sickbay, but, she wondered, where were him and Phlox?

"Doctor, I think the woman is awake," Arianne saw the blonde haired commander say as he glanced in her direction and their eyes met briefly. "She's gazing at me."

The Doctor gazed over and, seeing that the woman was indeed awake, he glanced sternly at Paris, "Alert Captain Janeway," he ordered. "I'll deal with the patient."

As Paris left Sickbay, the Doctor came to Arianne's bedside, "Ma'am, how are you feeling?" he asked

Arianne blinked and stared at the Doctor, suddenly noticing the strange computer apparatus on his arm.

_Is that a medical scanner of sorts from the Starfleet Science lab? Jon didn't mention anything about that._

"Ma'am, are you all right?" the Doctor asked, giving Arianne a look of concern.

Sighing, Arianne looked back at him, "My name is Arianne, not ma'am," she stated. "If I may ask, what is that interesting apparatus on your arm?"

"That apparatus is my mobile emitter and it allows me to access the entire ship freely," the Doctor replied, as he took out a medical tricorder and scanned Arianne. "Without it, I would be confined to Sickbay."

Arianne was silent for a moment. _A hologram, how interesting, I have always wanted to see one of those._

"Well, Doctor, can you tell me if my unborn child is all right?" Arianne asked, suddenly remembering the baby and worried that she might have lost it as a result of the accident.

The Doctor nodded, "Your baby is fine," he said, as he closed the tricorder and stored it in a compartment.

Before Arianne, who was relieved that the baby was fine, could speak further, the doors slid open and Captain Janeway entered Sickbay, accompanied by Tom.

"Who are you and where exactly am I?" Arianne asked, as she painstakingly pulled herself into a sitting position and leaned her head against the wall. "Is this Starfleet Medical?"

Janeway smiled, albeit being concerned and moved closer to the biobed, "We're far from Starfleet Medical," she said. "You're on Voyager, and we are currently in the Delta Quadrant."

_The Delta Quadrant? What is that? _Arianne wondered as she studied the captain, who looked barely older than herself, "I've never heard of it before."

Janeway smiled, "Well, even now, in the 2300s, the Delta Quadrant is still relatively unknown to the majority of Starfleet. We are exploring it, while trying to get home to Earth."

Arianne was stunned, the 2300s? _That was absolutely impossible to believe. However…._

_It was heart-shattering that she and Jon might never see each other ever again. Time kept them apart._

* * *

"_Admeeral Archer, I canna make sense of the whole incident," Scotty said, as he watched Admiral Archer pace back and forth outside of the force field that contained himself within a Starfleet Security holding cell._

_Jonathan sighed and stopping, he glared at Scotty, "I may be angry at you, but sentencing you as a criminal is something Arianne wouldn't have wanted," he said, tapping a button on a nearby keypad. "I have no doubt in my mind that my wife is still alive. However, in order to get her back, I will need your help."_

_Scotty's eyes widened as the force field fell, "Instead of rotting in the brig, I'm exiling you to the Starfleet science labs and library for the purpose of researching a way to retrieve my wife," Jonathan said, taking a step back. "Since Captain Kirk is under house arrest in Iowa, I assume you don't' have any objections."_

_Nodding, Scotty got to his feet, "Sir, before I'm taken to my exile, I need tae let ye know that Porthos came back," he admitted. "Cap'n Kirk's been looking after him at home for a long time."_

_Jonathan was both stunned and relieved to hear that Porthos was alive and well, but, despite that, his current worry was his wife. Not only did he love Arianne, but he also worried about their unborn child._

"_I hope you work in haste to find a way to retrieve Arianne," Jonathan said, as two Security officers came and placed old-fashioned handcuffs on Scotty's wrists to escort him to the library. "I wish you luck."_

_As the officers led Scotty away, Jonathan turned and sighed deeply. _

_Time was running short, Jonathan knew. Separation by space and time was the worst moment of his life._

* * *

_Miles away, a figure in a large cloak exited a docked shuttle and silently glided into the station that orbited Earth. The figure was one of many passengers to disembark from a shuttle that rarely came to Earth._

_After lightyears of being trapped in thought and emotion, the final leg to San Francisco was about to commence. In silence, the figure approached the security desk that would grant access to the planet._

"_Welcome to Earth, traveller," Spock, who had been recently assigned to security detail at Earth's main shuttle port since the decommission of the Enterprise, said, as the figure approached him. _

_For a moment, the figure was silent. Then, with a sigh, the figure lowered it's hood, revealing T'Pol._

_At the sight of T'Pol, Spock said nothing. He merely typed information into a computer console._

"_Commander T'Pol, welcome to Earth," Spock repeated tonelessly. "Purpose of visit?"_

_T'Pol blinked, "The visit is a highly personal matter," she said. "I am relocating to Earth."_

_Spock nodded, "Do you have anything that needs security clearance?" he asked._

_Letting out a sigh of frustration, T'Pol bent over and immediately, she straightened, now holding a small, half-Vulcan child within her cloak. The child stared at Spock, but said nothing._

"_If you'll follow me, I can get Medical to clear both you and the child to enter Earth's atmosphere and travel within the planet," Spock said, gesturing down a nearby corridor._

_T'Pol nodded and, holding the child tightly, she swept after Spock down the station corridor._


	6. Future Friendships, Past Revelations

"I didn't know you were an officer, Arianne," Tom said a few days later, as he walked into Sickbay to begin his shift. "You must be of a different fleet, as I wasn't aware that Starfleet had a prior presence here."

Arianne sighed, "It's a recent design," she said, as she pinned her rank pips on to her the collar of her uniform. "I guess being in this Delta Quadrant, Voyager wouldn't know if Starfleet changed the uniforms."

"How did you get here anyway?" Tom asked, as he walked over and did a quick scan of Arianne with a medical tricorder. "You seem to be a little out of place and almost horrified to be here."

For a moment, Arianne didn't know what to say, as although she wanted to tell where she came from and who she was, it was a risk. They could essentially think that she was crazy and confine her to Sickbay.

Watching as Mr. Paris walked over to a cabinet and rummaged through it, Arianne sighed. She would not deny where she came from, if anyone happened to ask. For now, she would resort to a comfortable lie.

"I was watching a transporter experiment," Arianne said, as Tom returned to her bedside with a hypospray. "Something went wrong and I guess that's how I ended up where you originally found me."

Tom nodded, thinking no more of it, "The Doctor's being run through a diagnostic, so he's offline for a litte while," he said. "In the meantime, he told me to give you some prenatal treatments."

Arianne's face winced with discomfort, "Look, Tom, I'm sure you are a very nice person, but I don't think I'd be too comfortable with that right now," she confessed. "I'm still getting used to being pregnant."

Realizing that he might have made Arianne uncomfortable, Tom nodded, but before he could reply, his commbadge beeped, "This is Lieutenant Paris," he said, tapping his commbadge.

"Mr. Paris, I've assigned our guest some quarters," Captain Janeway's voice sounded out. "If she's medically sound enough, can you escort her there please?"

"Yes ma'am," Tom said, clicking off his commbadge. "If you're feeling well enough, the Captain has assigned quarters for you to stay in as long as you are with us."

Arianne nodded and slowly got off the biobed. She reached to get her bag, but Tom, who was worried that it might harm her pregnancy, took the bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"I'll carry it," Tom said, as he started to the door and checked his PADD for the location of her quarters. "I believe your quarters are close to Sickbay so that the Doctor can keep an eye on your pregnancy easier."

Arianne nodded and walked carefully as she followed Tom down the corridor, "I appreciate your help, Tom," she said, trying to sound comfortable. "Hopefully, I'll fit in on Voyager and be able to be of help."

As they reached the door to Arianne's quarters, Tom smiled, "Well, I hope you enjoy your time with us," he said, gently handing the bag back to her, which had a commbadge on it. "Here's a commbadge and if you need anything at all to make your stay comfortable, feel free to ask around."

Smiling, Arianne nodded and, quietly moved into her quarters before Tom continued flirting with her.

While Tom, who was very happy and satisfied about doing a job well done, returned to Sickbay, B'Elanna, who had come looking for him, stood in the corridor, unsure of how to react to what she just saw.

To her, it looked like Tom was beginning to like Arianne. Did that mean their relationship could be over?

* * *

Meanwhile, in the past, President Archer sat at his desk, trying to review proposals that would be essential to the development of the Federation. However, all he could think of was his beloved Arianne.

He had no idea where she was at, if she was okay, or if their unborn child was even still alive. There was a high possibility that the baby had died from trauma, he knew, and the very thought devastated him.

"President Archer," a voice suddenly sounded out over the intercom. "You have a visitor."

Jonathan sighed, as much as he didn't want to talk to anyone, perhaps it would do him some good, "All right," he said. "Send them in immediately."

Within moments, the door had opened and a figure in a long, hooded robe glided into the room and stopped in front of the desk. The figure lowered its hood and Jonathan was shocked to see T'Pol standing there.

"T'Pol, this is an unexpected surprise," Jonathan said, motioning to the visitor's chair. "Please, have a seat and tell me your reason for this sudden visit. Last I heard, you were helping rebuild Vulcan society."

T'Pol sighed and, sitting down, she gave Jonathan a tedious look, "Ever since you decommissioned the Enterprise, Spock has been also helping with that and it is being sufficiently handled without my help for the time being. Besides, this was an important matter that could not be prolonged any further."

Jonathan raised an eyebrow, but remained silent, so T'Pol continued, "Through newly constructed news feeds, I heard of the accident that took your wife's life," she said, moving her hands towards his. "I thought I might be able to offer some comfort to you in this time of emotional distress."

Alarmed at what T'Pol was trying to do, Jonathan moved his hands off the desk, "Arianne is still alive as far as I'm concerned," he said, deeply offended by her actions. "Until that is otherwise determined, I am still happily married and very off-limits to your emotion-fueled, sexual advances!"

"I have a son that needs a father figure!" T'Pol suddenly shouted, rising from her chair in anger. "I have had to raise Lorian alone. It has proven slightly difficult, as I am full Vulcan and he is half human."

"How is that possible?" Jonathan said, rising from his chair, absorbing the name and the only way that name could come to pass. "Trip's been dead for years. How is it possible that your son is his?"

T'Pol folded her arms, "Shortly before Commander Tucker was killed, we had intimate relations," she confessed in a toneless voice. "I found out that I was carrying his child not long after his death."

Jonathan sighed, "You never had a chance to tell Trip," he concluded. "I am sorry for the fact that Lorian will never know his father, I truly am. However, as I am still married, I cannot be the emotional support you are looking for, nor can I be a father to your son."

For a moment, T'Pol was silent, "Your emotions rule your actions, which is unfortunate," she said, moving around the desk. "However, with my knowledge, and your time, I can help you with that difficulty."

Trying not to lose his temper, Jonathan stepped back, distancing himself from T'Pol even more, "Look, I have tried to be gentle and refuse your offers in a diplomatic matter," he said, crossing his arms. "However, since you continually harass me, I must now order you to leave my office or be escorted by Security."

Casting a glare at Archer, T'Pol lifted her hood, "Don't think this is over," she said, as she turned and glided to the door. "I will find a way to convince you to co-operate with my request."

In silence, T'Pol left the room. Jonathan sighed and sat down at his desk. All of his energy was now gone.

Placing his head on his desk, Jonathan allows himself to cry. Would he ever see his beloved Arianne again?


	7. Hidden Conspiracies

Time passed slowly for Arianne on Voyager, as it was a new environment for her and on top of having to adjust to that, she also had to adjust to the fact that she was going to eventually be a mother.

However, thanks to the fact that she had the holo-album from Phlox with her, Arianne could spend a great deal of time reminiscing. Her excuse for not leaving her quarters was pregnancy sickness, which was normal. However, she also knew that her self-isolation was probably concerning to the Captain.

Unaware of what else was going on, Arianne, dressed in her old dress uniform, sat on the couch in her quarters and looked at the holo-album that she had received just hours before the accident.

"Ohh, Commander Tucker, how Jonathan and I miss you," Arianne said, as she gazed at a holo-photo of her, Jonathan, and Commander Tucker that was taken shortly before the Commander was killed.

Arianne sighed and, placing the holo-album on the table, she rose from the couch. However, before she could decide whether to eat or look around the ship, there was a beep over the intercom.

"Yes, this is Arianne," Arianne said, as she tapped her commbadge. "What can I do for you?"

"Arianne, this is Captain Janeway," the voice of Janeway sounded out over the commbadge. "I need your assistance with something. Would you mind if I beamed you to the Bridge to help with repairs?"

"Go ahead, Captain," Arianne said. "I'd be more than happy to help you."

Within moments, Arianne found herself standing in front of a door. Assuming that it was the entryway to the Bridge, she stepped forward and was surprised to see the doors open automatically.

Instead of bridge stations, however, Arianne found herself standing in a beautiful paradise-like environment.

"Arianne, it's good to see that you made it here safely," Captain Janeway said, suddenly walking towards her. "How are you feeling today?"

Arianne smiled, "I'm fine, but where are we?" she asked, as Janeway took her arm and led her over to where several people were gathered around a table of food. "This doesn't look like the Bridge."

"Forgive me for that, I had to think of a way to get you here," Janeway said. "I thought a little gathering would help you feel more comfortable and help you to get to know the senior staff on Voyager."

As Janeway introduced each member of the senior staff, who all gave her a hearty greeting and handshake, Arianne grew increasingly uncomfortable. She was especially uncomfortable at the sight of Neelix, Seven, and Torres. Neelix and Seven were obviously of a unique species, but Lieutenant Torres carried the forehead ridges of a Klingon and the only Klingons she ever knew were hostile and war-loving.

Fortunately, Tom, who had become a good friend since her arrival, was also at the party.

Although Arianne remained loyal to Jonathan, she knew it couldn't hurt to have friends, as long as they didn't overstep those bounds. She had also noticed that Lieutenant Torres seemed to have eyes for Tom.

"Now that you're here, let me show you around the simulation," Tom said, proffering his arm to her, as he didn't want her to have a fainting spell. "I think the whole group can join us if they wish.

As the group, who agreed to Tom's suggestion, moved off with him and Arianne to explore the program, B'Elanna lingered at the table. She was growing increasingly worried about her and Tom's relationship/

* * *

Far back in time, the Iowa countryside was silent, full of silence, yet deprived of tranquility.

Confined within his home because of President Archer's orders, James Kirk found little pleasure in life anymore. Now, since a week ago, he had no longer had Porthos to keep him company because Archer had simply ordered the beagle returned to him, as he no longer had his wife to give him comfort.

Now forced to stay home, Kirk did little but lay in bed and watch TV, surrounding himself with junk food.

Spock had visited a few times, mostly to keep him updated on the latest developments within Starfleet. Since the decommission, the crew had all been reassigned and had possibly had contact with each other, but were not permitted contact with Kirk. He had been permitted to tell very little of the crew assignments, but his demeanor hinted that he was very much in love with Nyota Uhura.

The only assignments Kirk himself knew of was Scotty's, as he was imprisoned within the Starfleet Library and Science lab so that he could try and find a way to retrieve Arianne. The whole thought of the crew being reduced to shambles was disgusting, Kirk thought, as he bit down on a chocolate strawberry.

Kirk sighed and brushing crumbs off his civilian shirt and jeans, he stood and walked out of his small bedroom. There was nothing on the holo-vision, so he would have to have something delivered.

Unfortunately, before Kirk could activate his commlink to order supplies to better occupy his time, the doorbell beeped. Scoffing, Kirk moved over to the door and activated the comm.

"This is Captain Kirk," Kirk said into the comm. "State your business."

"Captain Kirk, this is T'Pol," a crisp voice said. "I wish to speak with you about an urgent matter."

Confused as to why T'Pol, of all people, would want to see him, Kirk remained silent and opened the door.

T'Pol, who was now dressed in combat clothing and boots, entered the house, "I wish to talk with you,"

"Did you wish to taunt me about losing command of the only ship I ever had?! Kirk said, giving T'Pol a glare as he closed the door and moved into the house. "I thought full Vulcans didn't have emotion."

T'Pol blinked, "Vulcans do not taunt, but I am a unique sort, which I will explain in due time," she stated. "I am angered against President Archer about his allowing compromised emotions to overrun him."

Upon T'Pol explaining the reason for her frustration, Kirk's confusion grew quickly into understanding and he truly sympathized with the Vulcan. To them, President Archer was falling in his reliability and sanity.

"I'm equally frustrated with my former colleague, Montgomery Scott," Kirk admitted. "Archer exiled him to the library and science lab to solve this problem, but Scotty has yet to discover anything useful."

T'Pol gave a nod of understanding, "Vulcan technology is far more advanced than that of humans," she said. "Perhaps, with Vulcan research, I can help your former colleague in his pursuit."

"What do you want in exchange for helping Scotty?" Kirk asked.

T'Pol sighed and moved back towards the doorway, "If President Archer knows that Arianne is safe wherever she is at, he may forget about her and move on with his life," she said. "I could use the help with Lorian, my son, and although he is not Archer's, he could become so legally if allowed."

"Where is your son right at the moment?" Kirk asked, moving to the doorway.

T'Pol blinked, "Lorian is in our visitors quarters in San Francisco," she said. "He is just a child, but assured me that he was going to be absorbed in too many academic projects to cause mischief. Nevertheless, I convinced one Doctor McCoy to keep watch on him and his projects."

Kirk chuckled, "Oh, I bet Bones loved being recruited to baby-sit an aspiring scientist," he said, amused that his friend and former colleague was stuck playing nanny to a half-Vulcan child.

"I'm sure, as a human physician, Doctor McCoy has discarded whatever discomfort he has with children to admirably perform the duty which he was asked to do," T'Pol stated.

"If I agree to this, can you help me in at least securing a release from house arrest?" Kirk asked, hopeful that T'Pol's influence could grant him freedom, even if it was merely around Earth. "I don't mind visiting home, but it's been too long and I am anxious to at least get out of my house and smell the air."

T'Pol gave a brief nod, "I'll see what I can do to help you," she said as the door opened. "In the meantime, Captain Kirk, be graceful about your imprisonment. Perhaps some housecleaning might help your mind."

In silence, T'Pol left. After the door closed, Kirk scoffed, Vulcans were so annoying to deal with.

Even though he wanted freedom, Kirk didn't trust Vulcans, except for Spock and even then, he didn't know what to do about this situation. Trusting T'Pol seemed easy, but was it the right solution.

Suddenly catching a whiff of the air, Kirk sighed and moved off into the kitchen to begin house cleaning.


	8. Secretive Discoveries, Fragile Alliances

"I don't appreciate the fact that you've been spending so much time with Arianne, Tom," B'Elanna snapped, as they stood in the Sandrine's holo-program, deeply engrossed in a game of pool.

Tom sighed and took a shot, just barely nicking a ball on the left side of the table. "Oh, come on, B'Elanna, we are JUST friends," he said, looking at her. "She's in a strange place and needs every friend possible."

"Tom, is it because she's fully human that you seem to be the one who insists on helping her to become more comfortable?" B'Elanna snapped, taking her shot and knocking one into the corner pocket.

Scoffing, Tom placed his pool cue on the table, "Arianne is pregnant and I am a medic," he snapped, beginning to get annoyed. "It's a medic's duty to closely supervise whatever patients they have."

Giving Tom a death stare, B'Elanna broke the pool cue over her knee, "We're done, Paris," she said, walking to the exit door. "Go and pursue women at warp speed again, I don't care."

Throwing the broken cue on the floor, B'Elanna left the Holodeck. Tom sighed and looked at the floor.

* * *

"Are you sure you should be doing this?" Tom asked Arianne, as she put on a uniform from her bag that she used to wear on the Enterprise before she met and married Jonathan. "You ARE pregnant you know."

Arianne scoffed and pinned her Lieutenant Commander rank pips on her collar, "I'm fine enough to help Voyager, Tom, and Captain Janeway obviously agrees," she said, as they left her quarters and walked down a corridor towards the nearest turbo lift. "Besides, I'm not assigned to any specific area, which is why I'm wearing an older uniform. The Captain says I can help wherever needed on the ship."

"Well, as a medic, I don't see a problem with that," Tom commented, as they boarded the turbo lift. "Just take it easy and be sure to take breaks now and then. Oh, stay clear of Seven of Nine, our resident Borg."

Arianne looked at Tom curiously, "What is a Borg?" she asked, as the turbo lift moved.

"Well, Seven is not exactly full Borg anymore, she was rescued from the Hive a year ago and reverted to a Human," Tom said, gazing at Arianne with a smile. "However, she still can be very unpredictable."

Arianne sighed, "Tom, that is the most horrible display of indifference," she snapped, a little annoyed with Tom's view on Seven. "I would like to meet this Seven, where might I find her?"

"Seven is usually either in her Borg Alcove or in Astrometrics," Tom said, surprised by Arianne's snapping. "However, I would caution you to be careful. You don't know anything about Seven."

At the mention of Astrometrics, the turbo lift quickly reverted to the floor on which the lab was on, "You're right, Tom, I don't know anything about her," Arianne said, as she exited the Turbolift.

It was a fairly short journey to the lab and upon walking inside, Arianne noticed a blonde woman in a purple catsuit standing at a console, "You must be Seven of Nine," she said, approaching the woman.

Having heard her name, Seven turned around and looked at Arianne. There was a momentary silence.

"You are unfamiliar to me," Seven spoke in a monotone. "It is obvious you are not from around here."

Arianne nodded, "Indeed I am not from around here," she said, smiling at Seven. "From what Tom Paris tells me, neither are you. It seems we share a commonality, we are both relatively new to Voyager."

Seven raised an eyebrow, "Your analysis is unusual, but accurate," she said. "How can I help you?"

"I merely wish to compliment you on the effort you seem to be making to fit in with the crew of Voyager," Arianne commented. "I am currently unable to do anything but try to fit in here. So far, as I am trying to adjust to an unexpected pregnancy as well, adjusting to Voyager is proving difficult."

Seven gave a nod, indicating that she understood an sympathized with Arianne's plight, "If you would like some work to do, I need assistance here," she said. "You may help me if you wish."

Arianne nodded and going to an empty console, she smiled at Seven and commenced working.

Despite missing the past, perhaps now was the best time to learn new things about space as a frontier.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the past, T'Pol sat at a computer console, working effortlessly on secret research that she knew would help Scotty in his pursuit to locate Arianne Archer which, of course, nobody but her currently knew about. At her feet, Lorian, who depended on his mother, sat on the floor engrossed in a long PADD.

_DNA Sample Analyzed….Current Location of DNA Subject: USS Voyager, Delta Quadrant, 2374/75..._

T'Pol stared at the screen wide-eyed. Not only had Arianne survived, but she had corrupted the timeline.

"T'Pol to Doctor McCoy, I need to see you in the Starfleet Science Lab now," T'Pol said in a montone, tapping her combadge. "It's quite urgent that you see this DNA analysis."

"I'm a doctor, not a DNA analyzer," McCoy's annoyed voice sounded out over the commbage. "I'm on duty at Starfleet Medical and I'm quite busy. Go bother Phlox with your DNA testing."

T'Pol blinked, "Doctor McCoy, might I remind you that any discovery concerning President Archer's wife might enable Captain Kirk to regain the Enterprise, hereby reinstating you to the ship," T'Pol snapped. "However, if you prefer medical security at the Earth border outpost…."

Within minutes of T'Pol's last comment, McCoy had driven his car to the area, "All right, you convinced me to come and play scientist, what is it you want?" McCoy said, as he strode into the lab. "It's bad enough that you're sleeping with Kirk, but now you want to try and meddle in the orders of President Archer."

"I make no comment to my affair with Kirk," T'Pol said, rising from her chair. "I ignore your comments about Archer and implore you to look at the analysis screen."

McCoy rolled his eyes and looked at the screen, "The Delta Quadrant in 2374?" he asked, hardly able to believe what he was reading. "How did the President's wife end up in 2374, let alone the Delta Quadrant?"

"I assume you heard of the transporter incident that led to the Enterprise being decommissioned?" T'Pol snapped, glaring at McCoy. "I am guessing the accident created a space-time vortex of sorts."

"Wasn't Mrs. Archer pregnant at the time of the accident?" McCoy asked, suddenly feeling a combination of shock and concern over this discovery. "That's what I heard when I visited the President yesterday."

T'Pol nodded and tapped some keys on the console, "I understand that she was and, with extra DNA that I borrowed from Doctor Phlox's lab, I have come to a conclusion," she said, gesturing to the screen.

_DNA Subject Analyzed……Status: Developing Normally with no Genetic Deficiencies…._

Forgetting that Lorian was in the room, McCoy swore loudly, "I can't believe it," he said, stunned. "Not only did that woman corrupt the timeline, her unborn child the whole accident without damage,"

T'Pol nodded, "I will not be informing President Archer of this discovery as of yet." she said. "I trust what I have shared with you today will remain confidential to all but us, Doctor. I do not even trust Kirk with the information."

McCoy sighed, "Well, at least Jim won't get bored during house arrest if you're occasionally keeping him company," he said, nodding. "As much as I hate to, I am bound by the rules of confidentiality and will keep this quiet."

"Good, now, you may go and resume your current duties," T'Pol said, as she sat and turned back to the computer screen. "I'll be in touch with both you and Spock when my research progresses to the point of experimentation."

McCoy sighed and, having nothing more to say, he nodded to Lorian, who was watching him curiously, and departed.

Obviously there was no intention of keeping such information from the appropriate people, McCoy thought to himself, as he got into his car and drove away from the lab. The problem was when to find an appropriate time to do so.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the residential courtyard, President Archer walked the pathways with Porthos, silently reflecting.


	9. Lost Memories and Trust

"**Well, Arianne, it seems like your pregnancy is progressing quite nicely," The Doctor said, as he ran a medical tricorder over Arianne's growing belly. "I'd say that you're approaching the second trimester now."**

**Arianne smiled and caressed her belly, "Every day that passes, I get even more anxious," she admitted, gazing at the Doctor as she rose from the biobed. "I want to somehow include the senior staff in this event."**

**The Doctor nodded, "I'm sure they are all very eager to celebrate this even with you when it does finally arrive," he said, not thinking that he was part of the staff. **

"**Wait a minute, you silly, I'm including you in that," Arianne said, smiling. "You are most definitely part of Voyager's senior staff and I wouldn't have been able to successfully endure this without your guidance."**

**Feeling honoured to be referred to as a senior staff member, the Doctor smiled. **

**However, before he could reply to Arianne's kindness, the door burst open and three Hirogen entered Sickbay. The Alpha Hirogen glared at both the Doctor and Arianne menacingly.**

"**This is our ship now, your crew is languishing in Holodeck simulations," the Alpha Hirogen snapped, grabbing Arianne's arm. "I think Holodeck 2 could use this pretty face."**

**The Doctor stepped in front of the Hirogen, "This woman is the Sickbay nurse," he lied, trying to protect Arianne and her unborn child from harm. "I need her to help me in Sickbay."**

"**You'll just have to do without a nurse, Doc, we're taking her," the Alpha Hirogen said, as he firmly escorted Arianne to a biobed. "Sedate her or we'll reprogram you."**

**Wincing, the Doctor walked over and, as the Hirogen held Arianne down, he prepared a strong sedative. **

"**Doctor, what are you doing?" Arianne shouted, as he came close to her with the hypospray.**

**Without emotion, the Doctor pressed the hypospray into Arianne's neck. The Hirogen laughed.**

"**I'm sorry," the Doctor said, as he turned away, unable to watch Arianne lapse into unconsciousness.**

* * *

_**(From here until the end of the chapter, refer to the Voyager episode "The Killing Game")**_

_

* * *

_

"_**Jeanette, you can't sleep forever you know," a voice said from the opening of the tent.**_

_**Jeanette Davis, a beautiful blonde, but slightly overweight, nurse opened her eyes and sat up to see her brother, Lieutenant Bobby Davis, lingering in her tent, "I wasn't sleeping, Bobby, I was just taking a break from the stress of this war. I lost fifteen patients yesterday and it drained my mind."**_

"_**That's horrible about losing fifteen, I'm sorry," Bobby said, as Jeanette stood up. "Anyway, why didn't you tell me that Mom's letters reached the camp? I just found out from Captain Miller the other day."**_

_**Jeanette sighed, "I figured you didn't need the distraction," she said, as she put on a ragged green overcoat that had medic symbols on the sleeves. "This war isn't going to stop so you can read letters from Mom."**_

_**As the two made their way from the tent, Bobby looked at his sister, "Oh, Captain Miller asked me to ask you if tonight would be a good night to join him for dinner. He's taken a liking to you, sis."**_

"_**Oh, please, he knows that I've got my hands full running the Infantry hospital," Jeanette said, as they walked through the camp. "Since the doctors were killed, I have had to look after everything on my own."**_

_**There was a momentary silence as the two happened upon the edge of the camp, which led straight into the war-afflicted town of St. Claire. Bobby sighed and gazed at Jeanette solemnly.**_

"_**There she is, sis, Saint Claire," Bobby explained. "We're supposed to meet the Resistance here."**_

_**Jeanette looked at the city with wide eyes, "The Nazis must be sleeping in, I don't see any out and about," she said sarcastically. "Well, I best get in the city and see if anyone requires medical help."**_

_**Without waiting for a response from her over-protective brother, Jeanette left the camp and entered the city. **_

_**After walking for a time, she came upon the Coeur D'Lion establishment, the place where, according to Bobby, the Resistance was rumoured to be located. **_

_**Jeanette entered the building in silence only to have her ears filled with the sound of seductive singing, which, to her, sounded a lot like prostitute crooning from street corners in the dark of night. Ignoring the singing, she moved to where the owner, Katrine, lingered at the bar.**_

_**Unknown to anyone, however, the neural interface had been disabled seconds before and it was Janeway standing there, merely pretending to be Katrine. Recognizing Arianne, Janeway smiled, but that quickly faltered when, upon looking at Arianne's interface, she realized that not everyone was back to normal.**_

"_**Jeanette Davis?" Janeway asked, taking upon the role of Katrine so not to scare the woman.**_

_**Jeanette nodded, "Yes, I am Jeanette Davis," she said. "Who exactly are you and how do you know me?"**_

_**Janeway smiled, "I am Katrine, and we are lost cousins," she lied, hoping to convince Arianne that they were on the same side. "You came to France with your husband and you intended to visit me."**_

"_**My husband went to fight in the war and died," Jeanette said, slowly beginning to believe what this woman was telling her. "I guess he meant to reunite us here, but never got the chance."**_

_**Nodding, Janeway offered her arm, "This place has no longer become safe for us, cousin," she explained, as she escorted Arianne into the street. "We must retreat to where the rest of the Resistance awaits us."**_

"_**I trust you, Katrine, you would never lead me to harm," Jeanette said, as the two disappeared down an alley near the establishment. "I want to do whatever I can to help the Resistance."**_

_**Janeway smiled, but before she could figure out a way to get Arianne safely out of the Holodeck and back to the Doctor's care, a Hirogen solider appeared in front of them and pointing his weapon, he fired at them.**_

_**Pandemonium erupted and in the falling debris of buildings, Janeway and Arianne were separated, as Janeway fled to avoid being killed. Unfortunately, the Hirogen grabbed "Jeanette" and dragged her away.**_

_

* * *

_

"_**Look, I don't know HOW you know me, but why did you drag me back into the Coeur D'Lion?" Jeanette asked, as she was sat in a chair by a Hirogen soldier, who had nothing but evil intentions.**_

_**Even though this Hirogen didn't know anything about her, instead assuming that she was part of the crew that had joined the ship just recently, he still found her attractive and wanted to partake of her fully.**_

_**The Hirogen grinned, "Surely, Miss Davis, you must remember me," he said, gripping her arms with his hands and drawing nearer to her. "We used to be colleagues in Paris before the war."**_

_**Jeanette gave the ugly man a disgusted look, "I'm sure we were," she snapped sarcastically, standing up. "Now if you'll excuse me, good sir, I need to get back to my cousin. We were separated."**_

_**Aggravated by her spunk, the Hirogen pulled her close to him, "Now, come my dear, let's not be in a hurry," he hissed. "Why don't we seal our reunion with a bout of passion? You were my hunting prey, but now I've caught you and am free to do what I wish with you."**_

_**Jeanette pulled out of his grip and spat in the Hirogen's face, "I AM NOBODY'S CAPTURED PREY!" she shouted, stepping away. "Now, I insist that you leave me alone and get on with your day you drunk fool!"**_

_**Enraged, the Hirogen drew his weapon and instead of shooting her, he struck her full in the face with the holographic weapon. Since the safety protocols were off, it knocked her to the ground.**_

_**As Arianne's world went black, shouting, an explosion, and weapons fire could be heard in the distance.**_

_

* * *

_

"_**Ah, Spock, it's been awhile since I've seen ye," Scotty said, as he stood up from his reading console in the Starfleet Library. "I wanted to speak with ye about something…It's been bothering me conscience."**_

_**Spock sighed, "You summoned me to the Starfleet Library during my off-duty period to discuss something that has been bothering your conscience?" he asked, confused. "Is there a reason for doing this?"**_

"_**I received some startling information from a Vulcan called T'Pol late last night while I was taking a respite from me research." Scotty said, stress in his voice. "It concerns the location of Arianne Archer."**_

_**Spock raised an eyebrow, "I was not aware that T'Pol had been involving herself in such research since she and her child were cleared for a visit on Earth," he said, his attention now focused on the computer screen.**_

_**Scotty nodded, "Aye, she not only involved herself in it, she beat me tae the punch," he said, pressing some keys and revealing the research T'Pol had privately sent him. "The research is truly incredible."**_

"_**Has anyone informed President Archer of this new research?" Spock asked, as he reviewed and found the information to be accurate. "I am assuming that he would find this discovery to be somewhat a comfort."**_

_**Scotty shook his head, "T'Pol said that she had nae intention of telling President Archer of this," he confessed, not caring anymore if he was court-martialed and jailed for the rest of his life. "At first, I thought nothing of it, but then I wondered what her true intentions behind hiding the truth are."**_

"_**You are aware that such dishonesty could merit a court-martial and subsequent imprisonment in a penal colony," Spock said, clearly anxious to see if Scotty's intentions in telling him were pure, or if there were other reasons behind it. "I could, in reality, declare you under arrest for impeding an investigation."**_

_**Nodding, Scotty felt tears come to his eyes, "I know, but I canna live with meself if I don't do my part tae help save the poor woman," he admitted. "I occasionally get the news in here and every time I see President Archer speak about some new development, I can see in his eyes that is heart is shattered by his loss."**_

_**Spock nodded, but said nothing, so Scotty continued, "Recently, I have noted a change in Captain Kirk, he's not the man he once was," he explained fervently. "That T'Pol woman has a seductive hold on him."**_

_**Quickly absorbing all that Scotty had told him, Spock straightened and gazed at his guilt-stricken former crewmate, "You will not be court-martialed, nor arrested, I simply recommend you remain here to develop this theory to the point where experimentation can commence."**_

_**Scotty nodded, "Aye, sir," he agreed, turning back to the screen. "I will do whatever I can."**_

"_**I will be paying a visit to President Archer and informing him of all that you have told me," Spock said, as he walked to the doors. "I will contact you with further instructions in due time. Stay here, meanwhile."**_

_**In silence, Spock left the library. Scotty sighed tiredly and turned his attention back to the screen.**_


	10. Unexpected

"President Archer, I apologize for the early hour in which I come, but I felt a most urgent need to see you," Spock said, as he stood before Archer's desk as, behind it, Archer sat, patting Porthos, who sat on his lap/

Jonathan shrugged, "It's all right, I spend most of my time with Porthos at the office anyway," he said, gesturing to the empty chair on the other side. "Please have a seat, Spock, and tell me what's on your mind."

"I must inform you of the attempt of deception made by Jim Kirk and T'Pol concerning the whereabouts of your wife," Spock stated, as he sat down. "I was unaware of this until last night."

Jonathan frowned, "Please, explain it to me, Spock, and don't leave a single detail out." he said, suddenly becoming angry that Jim Kirk and his former first officer would take such a stand against him.

Spock explained things very quickly and by the time he had finished, Jonathan was on his feet. He walked around the desk and had an angry look on his face. Spock raised an eyebrow.

"Spock, I need you to travel with me to Iowa," Archer said, gazing at the Vulcan. "I know it's going to be difficult for you to take a stand against your former captain, but…"

"President Archer, I will do whatever necessary to assist in the upholding of integrity in Starfleet," Spock said, crossing his arms across his chest. "I believe we can easily get a shuttle to Captain Kirk's home."

Jonathan nodded and as he walked out, Spock followed after, determined to set things right.

* * *

"Spock, I can't BELIEVE you went and blabbed to Archer about this!" Kirk shouted, as he paced the floor of his living room. "You were my first officer and friend, I thought I could trust you!"

For a moment, there was silence, then Spock gave Kirk a sharp glare, "I assure you, Jim, this decision to present this information did not come lightly," he admitted. "Lieutenant Uhura helped me to see that, as a Starfleet officer, my duty is first to uphold the values of Starfleet, even if it means breaking friendships."

"Oh, so you're still seeing her, are you?" Kirk snapped, getting right in Spock's face. "Tell me, Spock, does _Nyota_ tell you how to be an officer too, or is she just a token playtoy within your bedchamber?"

Jonathan widened his eyes in shock at Kirk's comment, he couldn't believe that Kirk could be so classless.

"I suggest you get out of my face right now, Jim," Spock warned, reigning his anger in as he took a step away from Kirk. "If you persist in this behavior, I may become emotionally compromised."

Kirk scoffed, "Uhura is nothing but a drama queen and a dishonourable skank," he hissed, stepping closer to Spock. "Your loyalty should be to ME, I am your CAPTAIN!"

Spock shook his head, "I would hardly call you a captain anymore, Jim," he confessed. "At one point, you had all the attributes of one, but now you are bound within the confines of your home, having lost integrity."

"All right, I don't want this to escalate into a brawl," Jonathan suddenly spoke, stepping between Kirk and Spock. "From this point onward, I will be more involved in the retrieval of my wife and that's all there is to it. I will be working with Mr. Scott and Spock to somehow find a way to make it happen."

"Will T'Pol be receiving the same barbaric treatment as you are dishing out to me?" Kirk snapped, reverting his gaze to Jonathan. "I thought this sort of treatment died away with the past."

Jonathan raised an eyebrow in surprise, "You think being allowed to stay in the comfort of your own home with access to personal comforts is barbaric?" he asked. "Would you prefer to be marooned on Delta Vega again? If you would, I'm sure Mr. Spock and I can arrange that for you."

Not wanting to relieve the horrors that were present the last time he was forcibly marooned on Delta Vega, Kirk scowled, "Being away from my ship is adequate enough punishment, sir."

Convinced that he had humbled the cocky former captain, Jonathan nodded and silently left the house.

Disgusted with the disloyalty, Kirk turned his back to the door as Spock followed after President Archer.

"Captain Kirk?" a soft voice sounded out from the bedroom. "Are Archer and Spock gone now?"

A moment later, T'Pol, who was dressed in a sliver silk dress, glided out of hiding and lingered in the doorway to Kirk's bedroom, "Jim, I am assuming that you are now in need of emotional comfort."

Kirk sighed and gazed at the carpet silently. Sensing that Jim was in need of comfort, T'Pol glided over to him and wrapping her arms around him, she placed her head on his shoulder.

"Jim, no matter what happens, I will be here for you always," T'Pol whispered in his ear.

Kirk nodded, appreciating T'Pol's love, as it meant she had sufficiently healed from the loss of Commander Tucker to move on and embrace different romantic opportunities, including with him.

Ever since she had come to Earth and had been thrown out of Archer's office, they had been getting to know each other quite well. At first it was merely a collaboration of ideas, but now, a new love was stemming forth and neither were willing to let it disappear.

* * *

"_How are the ship repairs coming?"_

"_Well, the Holodecks will be down for a few days, but I think the crew could use a break from them anyway, given our experience with the Hirogen…"_

"_It's been two days already, but that's all right…."_

Hearing voices around her, Arianne opened her eyes and found that she was in Voyager's Sickbay, laying on a biobed. Fighting off grogginess, she slowly sat up and immediately saw Tom at a console nearby.

"Try not to move around too quickly," Tom said, as he hurried over and began scanning Arianne with a medical tricorder. "The Doctor's busy right at the moment…How are you feeling?"

_Arianne smiled, "I'm fine, Tom, thank you," she said in a gentle tone. "Just very tired."_

_Tom smiled, but, before he could speak, the doors slid open and Janeway came into the room, followed by the Doctor. Both were very pleased to see Arianne awake and aware enough to respond._

"_Doctor, how long have I been in here?" Arianne asked, as the two approached the biobed._

_The Doctor smiled, "Apparently Commander Chakotay found you as you were about to be severely violated by a Hirogen, but not before you were knocked unconscious," he said. "It's been two days since you were found in the Holodeck and brought to Sickbay…"_

"_Is the baby okay?" Arianne asked, suddenly filled with worry for how the Hirogen invasion might have harmed her unborn child._

"_I assure you, Arianne, both babies are not only safe, but they are developing normally," the Doctor said, as he moved over to the nearest console. "I offer my congratulations on your news."_

_Arianne's eyes widened and then she smiled, "That is amazing news, Doctor," she said. "I didn't think that I would ever have even one child and now I'm pregnant with twins."_

_Captain Janeway smiled, "Take some time to rest and absorb this news and when you're cleared for duty again, I'll find some light work for you on the ship," she said, as she patted Arianne's hand reassuringly. "Let me offer my congratulations and I assure you that the crew and myself will support you fully in this."_

_Giving Arianne another smile, Janeway hurriedly left Sickbay. _

_Noticing that Tom kept giving her concerned glances, Arianne laid down, wanting to process the news of twins in her mind before resuming duty. It made her miss Jonathan even more, firstly._

_As she rested, Arianne knew that eventually, she would need to confide in someone about where she truthfully came from and how it happened. They may or may not see her as crazy, but it was worth a try._


	11. Spoken and Psychic Bonding

"_**As of now Thomas Eugene Paris has been demoted to Ensign and will be spending the next thirty days in the brig. Visitors are restricted. That is all, Captain Janeway out."**_

**From inside her quarters, Arianne rose from her comfortable couch and placed the half-drunk cup of tea on the glass table. She had heard of Tom's little crusade and was appalled at his severe punishment.**

**Taking her combadge off, Arianne quietly left her quarters and quickly walked off down the hallway towards the Brig. It wasn't right or noble that Tom not have any visitors while imprisoned.**

**No matter what Janeway said, she had to visit Tom, Arianne decided, as she boarded a turbo lift.**

**Thanks to great strides, Arianne was at the door to the brig within minutes. Mustering all of her courage and determination, she entered the brig and saw Ayala standing at a console, armed with a phaser rifle.**

"**Ayala, I'm not going to stay long, I just want to talk with Tom," Arianne said, as she got a suspicious look from the tired security officer. "Please don't tell Captain Janeway I was here."**

**Without hesitation, Ayala nodded. He knew that Arianne was harmless and there was no cause for concern. **

"**Arianne, you came to see me?" Tom asked, rising as Arianne approached his cell. **

**Arianne nodded, but before she could speak, Tom cut her off, "B'Elanna and I broke up," he admitted. "I don't know if we ever really loved each other. Maybe just being friends was better."**

"**Mr. Paris, I know you're trying to be kind, but I know for a fact that you still love Lieutenant Torres," Arianne said, cutting Tom off. "I'm sure you two will be able to fix your relationship issues."**

**Tom raised an eyebrow, "I knew you were married by the ring on your finger, but I didn't know how long you have been married for," he commented. "I'm assuming you've been married quite awhile judging by your maturity and how confident you sound about relationships."**

"**Thank you for the compliments, Tom, but I've only been married six years," Arianne said, allowing herself to grin at Tom's attempts to make her feel better. "Even in marriage, life is still difficult, but, with the help of my husband, and a lot of work, we managed to make a firm foundation of love and teamwork. However, it took a lot of acceptance, time, patience, and endurance to make it a lasting marriage."**

**Tom nodded, "I'll think about what you said," he replied, nodding. "Now, you'd better get out of here before Captain Janeway finds out you were here. I don't want you to get in trouble."**

**Arianne nodded, "See you in thirty days, Ensign Paris," she said, a tone of regret in her voice, as she nodded to Ayala and left the brig.**

**From inside the cell, Tom sat down on his temporary bed and began to think things over.**

* * *

"**All right, I came to your quarters, Arianne," B'Elanna, who had just finished her shift and was about to head for the Holodeck to vent some steam when Arianne contacted her, said, as she entered Arianne's quarters. "If it's about Tom, Ayala already told me you visited the Brig earlier today."**

**Arianne sighed, "I hope Janeway didn't find out about that," she said, as she walked into the living room with her holo-album under her arm and a cup of tea in each hand. "I don't want to cause any trouble."**

"**Ayala might be bad at keeping secrets, but he wouldn't snitch on you just to look good in the Captain's eyes," B'Elanna said, as Arianne came over to the couch and handed her a cup of hot tea.**

**With a sigh, Arianne sat, "Lieutenant Torres, I understand your anger," she said, as B'Elanna sat next to her on the couch. "However, will you let me give you the same advice that I gave to Tom about relationships?"**

**B'Elanna nodded, "I suppose some advice wouldn't hurt," she said, taking a sip of the tea. "Mine and Tom's relationship can't really get any worse than it already has."**

"**Well, as I told him earlier, loving relationships take a lot of patience and endurance on both parts in order to work," Arianne explained. "I've been married for six years, myself, so I can attest to that fact."**

**Remaining silent, B'Elanna sipped her tea, so Arianne continued, "I want to confide something in you, Lieutenant, and you have to promise to keep it a secret from everyone," she said. "You aren't even allowed to tell Tom or Captain Janeway, for that matter."**

**B'Elanna nodded, "All right, what's the big secret?" she asked, confused as to Arianne's sudden desire to reveal something. "It has something do to with that holo-album you have, doesn't it?"**

**Arianne nodded and switched the holo-album on, revealing a picture of her and Jonathan on their wedding day, dressed to perfection, in a Mess Hall, "That's a photo of my wedding day, to my husband," she said, as they looked at the photo. "My husband is Admiral Jonathan Archer, current President of the United Federation of Planets. Jonathan was originally Captain of the Enterprise NX-01 before we even met. We had been married six years and had just found out about my pregnancy when I was brought here."**

"**Wait the NX-01 that launched in the year 2151?" B'Elanna asked, both a little surprised and sceptical of Arianne's claim. "If you're from there, how did you end up in the Delta Quadrant in the year 2375?"**

**Arianne smiled, as she placed a hand on her growing belly, "It was not long after Jonathan's Presidential Inaguration that an officer named Montgomery Scott wanted to show him this new transporter theory to try and make up for the fact that our dog, Porthos, disappeared in the last one. Of course, as he was very close to Porthos, and didn't want to even bother, but I convinced him to see it, just to be nice. During the experiment, something went wrong and the next thing I knew, I woke up in Voyager's sickbay."**

"**As strange as your revelation sounds, I can't help but believe what you're telling me," B'Elanna replied, placing the now empty teacup on the coffee table. "How did you and Jonathan meet anyway?"**

"**After the Xindi attacked Earth and seven million were killed, Starfleet added MACO's and other officers to the Enterprise crew for the journey into the Delphic Expanse," Arianne explained. "I was one of the few actual officers to successfully endure the pre-journey training and make it on board. After that, I was friends with his best friend, Commander Charles Tucker from then until after the Xindi weapon was destroyed, and, knowing that Captain Archer could use someone to ease his ever-increasing loneliness, Commander Tucker introduced us and we casually dated when there was a spare moment. It wasn't until Commander Tucker was killed saving Enterprise that Jonathan and I realized that we were in love and decided to be married."**

**B'Elanna was floored, "That's an incredible love story," she admitted, rising from the couch. "I can tell by the way you talk about him that even now, when you two are years apart, that you still carry a deep, genuine love and respect for each other. I only hope that you'll see each other again."**

**Choosing to remain sitting on the couch, Arianne smiled, "Thank you, Lieutenant Torres," she said. "It means a lot to me that you came and listened to my story. I wish you better days ahead."**

**B'Elanna smiled, "Thank you," she said, walking to the door. "I'll also think about what you said concerning Tom. Maybe after he's finished his time in the Brig, we can have a heart-to-heart talk."**

**As B'Elanna left, seemingly now happier than before, Arianne slouched and leaned against the couch. She was tired and, although talking with Lieutenant Torres helped her feel better about being on Voyager, she still missed her beloved Jonathan dearly and she was sure he missed her just as much, if not more.**

**Closing her eyes, Arianne sighed. **_**Oh, Jonathan, I miss you incredibly much and I love you dearly. I'm safe and doing light duty on Voyager, but it's not the same without you here. I am still pregnant and that is truly a miracle I wish you could be here for, you won't believe HOW much of a miracle it is. If I could just feel your arms around me, your skin against mine, and hear your soothing words, everything else wouldn't matter. Imzadi, I love you and if we can't see each other in person, we can dream about it…**_**she thought to herself as exhaustion from the day overtook her and she fell asleep.**

_

* * *

_

**Back in time, meanwhile, Jonathan was laying on the couch of his and Arianne's house, with Porthos at his feet, thinking about all the work he could do just to keep his mind off of missing Arianne.**

**Even now that Spock, Ensign Chekov, and Lieutenant Nyota Uhura were helping Scotty with trying to bring Arianne home, it was still a difficult and lengthy process. Not wanting to further annoy those who were doing their best to help with the situation, Jonathan had called over to the library and talked with Spock.**

**Although Spock was hopeful about the progress being made, he did make it clear that there was still work to do before they got to the point where they could attempt a rescue. Expressing gratitude for all that was being done, Jonathan had quickly ended the conversation, in order to limit distraction. It was bad enough that Kirk and T'Pol had tried to withhold the information and he didn't want to impede progress further.**

**Overwhelmed with emotion, Jonathan closed his eyes. Suddenly, a powerful sensation flooded his mind.**

_**Oh, Jonathan, I miss you incredibly much and I love you dearly. I'm safe and doing light duty on Voyager, but it's not the same without you here. I am still pregnant and that is truly a miracle I wish you could be here for, you won't believe HOW much of a miracle it is. If I could just feel your arms around me, your skin against mine, and hear your soothing words, everything else wouldn't matter. Imzadi, I love you and if we can't see each other in person, we can dream about it…**_

**Shocked at having just heard Arianne's voice clearly in his mind, Jonathan opened his eyes in wonder. He looked down at Porthos, who had fallen asleep, and sighed deeply. That was a strange occurrence.**

**Thinking back to six years prior, Jonathan remembered on their wedding day that Sarek, Spock's father, had mentioned that their love would be strong in both heart and mind throughout the shifting spaces of time while performing their ceremony. Perhaps Sarek had given them the ability to bond psychically.**

**Even though he couldn't hold his wife, Jonathan reflected, they could still communicate through their minds. Truly, Sarek had given them a precious gift, possibly foreseeing that this incident would occur.**

_**Arianne, my love, I hear your thoughts and I return your love. I am so relieved that you are safe and still pregnant. I wish I could be there at your side as you go through this whole miraculous experience. Spock, as well as a few other members of Kirk's old crew have taken to helping Scotty find a way to get you back. Just remember that I am always with you, in mind and in spirit….I love you Imzadi, please don't ever forget that…..I will never stop loving you…Jonathan thought, as he drifted off into a deep sleep.**_


	12. Making Amends and New Futures

"President Archer? There's a young child waiting at the door to your office."

Frowning in confusion, Jonathan sighed, "Well, as far as I know, I have no appointments with any young children," he said, gazing at the aide on the screen that awaited a reply. "However, send the child in."

The commlink ended and, a moment later, the door slid open and to Jonathan's surprise, Lorian, who was dressed in a sweater, jeans, and human Velcro shoes, entered the office and lingered near the door.

"Lorian, I'm surprised to see you here," Jonathan said, rising from his chair. "What can I do for you?"

Taking a deep breath, Lorian walked over to the desk and gazing up at Archer, he took a seat in a visitor's chair, "I know I am only a child, but I wish to apologize for my mother's recent behavior."

Jonathan raised an eyebrow, "I wasn't aware that you knew of your mother's visit to my office," he said, as he sat and leaned back in his chair. "However, I have learned to never underestimate anyone's knowledge."

"I know this is awkward, sir, but I know that my mother has had struggles with emotion ever since I was born," Lorian explained. "I merely wanted to make amends for her unnecessary outburst. Her logic about me needing a father is sound, but she could have asked you in a less emotionally compromised state. She has told me that my father died before I was born, and that she needed someone, who knew him well enough to truly want to care for his son. Again, she could have asked in a more stable matter than she was in."

Jonathan nodded, "Lorian, I understand her request, as I was good friends with your father for a long time before his death," he said. "However, I also have my own wife and hopefully, an unborn child. As much as I understand your need, I cannot and will not abandon the hope that my family can be retrieved safely."

Lorian gave a small nod, "My mother doesn't believe that the attempt to retrieve your wife and unborn child will be successful," he confessed. "Time is a very complex subject and should be better left unaltered."

"You are beginning to sound like your father, Lorian," Jonathan said, noticing Lorian's sudden concern about handling things with care. "Your father also cared greatly about attention to detail in things."

Again, Lorian nodded, but before he could reply, the door slid open and an anxious looking T'Pol, who was dressed in a dark blue gown that touched the floor, streamed into the office.

"Lorian, you should now better than to bother President Archer," T'Pol reprimanded tonelessly, as she moved next to her son. "I'm sure he has better things to do than entertain a child."

Jonathan rose, "It's all right, T'Pol, Lorian and I had a good conversation," he said, as he walked around the desk. "Lorian is very much like Commander Tucker used to be."

T'Pol nodded, "I have noticed that, sir," she said, placing a hand on her son's shoulder. "I would like to tae the opportunity to apologize for my previous actions. My outbursts were inappropriate."

Jonathan nodded, "I understand and I accept your apology," he said, giving T'Pol a small smile.

Taking Lorian's hand, T'Pol led her child to the door. Releasing a deep sigh, Jonathan sat back in his chair.

"Give my regards to Jim Kirk when you visit Iowa next," Jonathan called to T'Pol.

Nodding, T'Pol and Lorian quietly left the office, leaving Jonathan alone once more.

Sighing, Jonathan again stood. He needed to take Porthos for a walk, have some time away from the office and just trust that Arianne and the baby would be found and in time, returned safely to him.

* * *

On the other side of San Francisco, Spock and Uhura, who had taken a hovercar from the Starfleet Library after Scotty had requested some non-replicated food to keep him energized enough to continue research and development, walked into a small café that was on the corner of a quiet avenue.

"I don't understand why you wanted to borrow a complete stranger's car and go across San Francisco to get Scotty a meal," Uhura said, as sat on the round stools that surrounded the large counter. "We could have taken a walk to the cadet cafeteria and gotten free food there," she said. "Why the journey?"

Spock remained silent for a moment, instead inputting a desirable amount of food into the holo-padd that would then transmit the order to a chef that was awaiting in the back to cook any food orders, "I wanted a sufficient amount of time alone with you, Nyota," he confessed, as the order was transmitted to the chef.

Nodding, Uhura allowed Spock to take her hand and lead her to a nearby table to await the completion of their food order. Something was up, as Spock only called her Nyota when it was of essential importance.

"As you know, I assisted my father and many other Vulcans to establish a new colony for the species to repopulate itself," Spock explained, as he gently sat Uhura down in a chair, although he remained standing. "During that time, my father and I shared many heart-heart discussions concerning human emotion."

Uhura nodded, as she was well aware of the steps that Spock was taking to stabilize himself following the tragic, unexpected death of his mother several years prior. Talking to his father was a big step.

"Years ago, my father told me that he and my mother were in love, and that is why they married," Spock continued, gently stroking Uhura's hand. "I now understand that love is essential to basic survival."

Uhura raised an eyebrow, "Spock, what are you getting at?" she asked, giving him a confused look.

"Following the incident where President Archer's wife disappeared, I have observed how the love and hope he carried for her has made him able to maintain control within himself and of his Presidential duties," Spock explained. "Therefore, I have made a decision about the future direction of our relationship."

Taking a deep breath, Spock lowered himself to one knee, "Nyota Uhura, after careful consideration and copious time in a relationship with you that has proved mutually beneficial, I hereby ask you if you are willing to secure our love in the bonds of a matrimonial agreement." he asked, as he reached into his pocket and produced a Vulcan-style ring from a small box.

For a moment, Uhura stared at him, wide-eyed in realization. _Spock is asking me to MARRY him? _

_Breaking out into a gentle smile, Uhura nodded and as Spock slipped the ring on to her finger, she enveloped him into a passionate kiss, which he readily returned with a greater magnitude of passion._

_Only when Spock's commbadge beeped, did the two lovers pull apart, "This is Spock," Spock said, tapping the commbagde on his chest. "State your name and purpose."_

"_Spock, I need you and Uhura tae summon President Archer and bring him tae the Starfleet Science Lab immediately," the Scottish voice of Montgomery Scott sounded out. "It is VERY important!"_

_Exchanging a look, Spock and Uhura grabbed the completed and bagged order from the counter and hurriedly left the diner. If Scotty said it was important, he definitely meant it._

_Was the retrieval of Arianne Archer, First Lady of the Federation, close at hand?_


	13. Irreversible Choices

"It's two in the morning, Mr. Scott," Jonathan said, as he entered the dimly lit Starfleet Science Lab, having been summoned from his quiet bed at home. "This had better be important."

There was no reply and, almost terrified of why he had been summoned to what seemed like an empty area at the wee hours of the morning, Jonathan remained silent. Was Mr. Scott even around or had this been a trick of his mind, which was tired and overworked? Should he stay or simply go home and sleep?

"Aye, is that you, President Archer?" a thick Scottish accent suddenly rang out from places unseen. "It didn' take ye long to get here. I'm glad for that, as I have sumthin to show ye, something important."

Without warning, Montgomery Scott, who looked tired, but very excited, materialized in front of Jonathan, who looked rather startled, but merely raised an eyebrow at the oddness which welcomed his presence.

"Come with me, sir," Scotty said, as he turned on his heel. "I got somthin tae show ye."

There was silence as Jonathan followed Scotty to the back of the lab, where a console and a transporter stood dormant. Jonathan raised an eyebrow, why did he care about a dormant transporter?

"Now, this mae look like a useless transporter, sir, Scotty said, as he took a vial that looked as if it contained some DNA in it off of the top of the console. "However, in my experiments, I've come to a conclusion about transporting living things through time and space. I looked at my transwarp theory and along with space, I found out that time also moves, albeit faster than space does."

Jonathan said nothing, so Scotty continued, "Now, thanks tae the help of Mr. Chekov, who happened to do maintenance on the transporter after the accident, as Starfleet wouldn't let me anywhere near the thing, I managed tae get some of your wife's DNA," he admitted, showing the vial to Jonathan.

"Now, as she is pregnant and probably getting close tae childbearing, I wouldn't recommend trying tae retrieve her, as it could prove unsafe for all parties involved," Scotty explained, as he put the vial back on the top of the console.

Fighting back the urge to cry, Jonathan squeezed his eyes shut and lowered his head. After so much anxiety, work, and stress, he was now being told that although there was a way, it would be far too dangerous.

"However, sir, there is another possibility," Scotty spoke, seeing the President's anguish. "If I were tae use the DNA of someone who is compatible and program a transporter marker in accordance with the DNA already gained, I could then send another tae Voyager…."

With the realization dawning on him that Scotty was telling him that it was possible to send him to the future to be with his wife, Jonathan opened his eyes, "How soon can this be done?" he asked, anxious to be with his wife and child once more, even if it meant leaving his current life behind.

"It can be done in a matter of days, as soon as I can prepare everything," Scotty replied. "However, sir, this is a highly dangerous procedure and you may never be able to come back. I will make the necessary preparations, but I insist you think about this a while. If you go, it canna be reversed easily."

Deciding it would be best if he left Archer to think, Scotty quickly pressed some buttons on his wrist console, which was one of his many going transporter experiments and quickly de-materialized.

Taking a deep sigh, Jonathan left the lab. He certainly had a lot of thinking to do.

* * *

"President Archer, I am curious as to why you summoned Lieutenant Uhura and myself to a meeting with Admiral Pike," Spock stated, as he and Uhura entered the office of Admiral Pike, where Jonathan, who was dressed in full dress uniform with his rank pips on his collar, was already waiting.

Before Jonathan could reply, the door slid open and Admiral Pike, who had just finished his daily regiment of physical therapy, was wheeled into the office by, to the surprise of Spock and Uhura, Doctor Phlox.

"You're probably wondering why I asked you all to gather in Admiral Pike's office," Jonathan spoke, as Phlox settled Admiral Pike behind his desk. "It's concerning Arianne."

"I assume that Mr. Scott has either failed in his search, or he has found a way to retrieve your wife and you have gathered us to explain about the procedure involved," Spock said, raising an eyebrow.

Jonathan sighed, "Oh, Mr. Scott has found a way to do it, but, because of the late stage of Arianne's pregnancy, he thinks it's too dangerous to try and retrieve her, as it may cause harm," he explained. "Mr. Scott did suggest that he could use my DNA and send me to Voyager, in the future, so that I can be with my family again….However, he said that I should take time to think about making the decision to join her."

"Why wouldn't you want to be with your family, even if it was in the future?" Uhura spoke, her tone making it clear how she felt. "Family is more important than anything else in this entire galaxy."

Jonathan nodded, "I told Mr. Scott that I would be willing to do this," he admitted. "However, he made it clear that if I did this, I could possibly never return to this time. That still didn't deter me and since I met with Mr. Scott, I've been planning how to tie up loose ends in my mind and that is why you are here now."

"Well, I am assuming that your first act would be to surrender your Presidency and choose a successor," Spock stated, as he grabbed hold of Uhura's hand for reassurance.

Again, Jonathan nodded, "I am fully prepared to do so right now and for my successor, I have, without hesitation, chosen Admiral Pike,"

For a moment, Admiral Pike was speechless, "T-Thank you, President Archer," he said, trying to hide his shock over this recent appointment. "I will do my best to uphold the high standard you have set."

"I'll work on getting you officially sworn into office," Jonathan said, smiling. "Spock, I know I promised that I would perform the matrimonial ceremony for you and Lieutenant Uhura, but, in light of circumstances, I have decided to give that privilege to Captain Kirk, as he is your superior officer."

Spock raised an eyebrow, "Sir, I know I have said this before, but the complexities of human pranks escape me," he said. "I was under the impression that Kirk was going to be under house arrest for a long time."

"Originally, he was, but I have decided that the Enterprise's crew shouldn't suffer for the mistakes of their Captain," Jonathan explained. "Kirk will be on probation and closely watched by Starfleet, however."

Nobody said anything, so Jonathan continued, "That's all I am going to divulge for the moment, but in the coming days, I will be in touch with each of you privately," he said. "This is a highly confidential matter and should not be discussed with anyone outside this room, except for Kirk, who I will talk to in private."

Assuming they were dismissed, Spock and Uhura nodded a goodbye and quietly left the room holding hands. Pike sighed and leaned back in his chair, ignoring the tenderness in his healing spinal cord.

"All right, now, Jonathan, you mentioned that you wanted Phlox to preserve the Archer name so that time wouldn't be too disrupted once you made this trip to the future," Pike said, crossing his arms. "Could you and Doctor Phlox explain how that is going to be accomplished without bedding someone?"

Phlox smiled, "Using traces of DNA belonging to both President Archer and his wife, I can artificially create an egg and raise it in an incubator and neonatal chamber until it is full term," he explained. "Then, for the safety of the child, I would keep it hidden until it is old enough to carry on the Archer name."

"Well, Doctor Phlox, I will ensure that once the child is born, that you can have a safe escape from Earth and are directed to a place where no trouble will follow," Pike assured him. "As for you, Jonathan, I do wish you luck. Not everyone is noble or loving enough to do what you are doing to be with your family."

Jonathan smiled, "Thank you, Christopher," he said. "Now, you and Phlox can work on the details of how to proceed about this. If you'll excuse me, I need to go visit Captain Kirk in Iowa."

As Jonathan turned and left the room in silence, Admiral Pike began conversing with Phlox.

* * *

"Why, President Archer, what a surprise to find you on my doorstep," Kirk said, as he lingered in the open doorway, staring at Jonathan, who was lingering on the front step. "I assume you want to come inside?"

Jonathan nodded and stepping aside, Kirk waited until both of them were indoors and then quickly shut the door, not wanting anyone to know that he had such important company in his home.

"Look, whatever I did this time, it is NOT my fault!" Kirk shouted, as his built-up exasperation of being legally confined to his house and banned from his ship for such a long period finally emerged. "The whole thing with Arianne was CLEARLY an accident and I don't know why the entire senior staff of the Enterprise are being punished! I am SICK of being confined to my house and away from my ship!"

Sighing, Jonathan pulled a PADD from his pocket and offered it to Kirk, "I completely agree that the Enterprise senior staff should no longer need to suffer for the arrogance of her Captain," he said, slightly surprised by Kirk's outburst. "Therefore, here is a document that legally ends your house arrest. It also places you in command of the Enterprise and re-instates her crew to resume exploration of space."

Not believing Jonathan's words, Kirk grabbed the PADD and studied it, "Why the sudden change of heart, sir?" he asked, finding that the order was legitimate. "Is everything all right?"

"It would take too long to go into detail, Captain Kirk," Jonathan lied, not wanting Kirk to know of what he was soon planning to do. "I am going to be taking a trip and I might not be back for a long time. I just need to tie up loose ends and get things running smoothly. This trip I'm taking is extremely important to me."

Shocked speechless by Jonathan's sudden change in demeanor and what sounded like a farewell speech, Kirk nodded and remained silent as Jonathan waved good-bye and hurriedly left the house.

Worried that since his wife, as far as he knew, seemed irretrievable, President Archer was planning to commit suicide, Kirk hurried over to his communication module and tapped in T'Pol's number.

Within seconds, T'Pol's face appeared on the screen, "Hello, Jim," she said, a pleasant fondness in her voice. "It's good of you to call while I am visiting San Francisco with Lorian. What can I help you with?'

"Archer was just here," Kirk said, his voice frantic. "He said that my house arrest is over and that the Enterprise and her crew can proceed with exploration. What worried me, though, was his desire to tie up loose ends. Archer said he is going on a trip and might never come back."

As if she knew was Archer was talking about, T'Pol raised an eyebrow and nodded, "I'll deal with this, Jim," she reassured him. "You focus on getting Enterprise up and running again. Clearly, Archer needs some serious mental assistance to deal with his situation. I will contact Starfleet Security shortly."

Kirk nodded and placed the palm of his hand on the screen and mouthed 'I love you" to T'Pol, who closed her eyes and blushed. Opening her eyes, she repeated the gesture, then she terminated the communication.

Clearly, Kirk didn't know what to make of the Archer situation. What would happen in the near future?


	14. Farewell to a Friend

The day had finally arrived. It was time to go forward and face the future head on.

Jonathan had woke before dawn, had some replicated coffee and a plain bagel, and quickly, he had gotten dressed in his Admiral's uniform, complete with rank pips.

Porthos had been placed under the care of Doctor McCoy, who had initially protested about having to care for an animal, had agreed to help once Spock had confided in him about Jonathan's mission. From then, McCoy had promised to care for Porthos as if he were a great treasure.

Until his official inaguration, Admiral Pike was assisting Captain Kirk not only to prepare the Enterprise and her crew for upcoming exploration missions, they were also helping Spock and Lieutenant Uhura plan for a wedding that would happen in private ceremonial chambers on New Vulcan in a matter of days.

After making sure that everything in his home was secure, Jonathan had packed a bag of some clothes, all of his holo-photos from every part of his life, the replica ship he had when he was a boy, his old Captain's uniform, and some clothes for Arianne, including the dress she had been married to him in.

It didn't take much to borrow a car from a nearby rental place and within minutes, Jonathan had parked his car and made the journey to Scotty's lab. When he arrived, he saw Scotty standing at the transporter console and to his surprise, he also saw Doctor McCoy there with Porthos by his heels.

"I thought you and Porthos would benefit from seeing each other for one last time before you left," Doctor McCoy said tonelessly, trying to hold back his emotions.

Jonathan nodded and for the last time, he stroked Porthos's ears and patted his faithful beagle on the head, "Thank you, Leonard," he said, as he moved to the transporter. "Take care of Porthos for me."

"Well, it's been nice knowing you all," Jonathan said, as he stood on the transporter pad. "We may not see each other ever again. Just look to the stars and remember that I am complete, although far off in time."

Blinking back tears, as he would miss Archer, Scotty tapped in some co-ordinates and quickly integrated the DNA samples, "I'm ready tae energize whenever you say," he said. "According tae my calculations, you should end up somewhere on Voyager."

Jonathan nodded, but, before he could give the order to energize, the door shattered open and there stood T'Pol and two Starfleet Security Ensigns with phaser rifles pointed at him. Silently swearing, Doctor McCoy took out a small phaser pistol and set it to Stun.

"Jonathan Archer, you are under arrest for conspiracy to contaminate the timeline," one of the Security officers said, as they stepped forward. "You will henceforth be placed in the custody of Starfleet Medical and subjected to a full psychiatric evaluation pending a sentence."

Jonathan glared at T'Pol, "Scotty, count to five and then energize," he ordered, giving T'Pol a look that made it clear how he felt about her betrayal.

Seeing that Archer would not back down, one of the security officers lunged at him and tried to drag him off the transporter, but Jonathan pushed him off. Thinking, as T'Pol had told them, that this man was delusional and a danger to self and others, the other security officer fired several shots. After the last shot, McCoy grabbed the man and quickly disarming him, pointed the rifle at T'Pol.

As the phaser blasts hit various parts of Jonathan's body, Scotty, who was becoming panicked about the worsening situation, activated the transporter beam. Enraged, T'Pol pushed McCoy away and hurried forward to the transporter. Perhaps she could stop this just in time, she thought, before Porthos, sensing that she was trying to harm his master, sunk his teeth deep into her leg, stopping her movement.

Realizing that it was too late to stop this from happening, T'Pol could only watch, along with Scotty, McCoy, and the security officers, as Jonathan Archer dematerialized into the unknown.

* * *

"Lieutenant Torres, I'm honoured that you asked me to come and help you plan this Ancestors Eve party for the Captain," Arianne said, as she entered the Mess Hall and saw B'Elanna hard at work with Neelix nearby, cooking up a storm in the galley. "Won't this party take you away from Engineering for a long time, though?"

B'Elanna smiled, "According to Tom, I spend too much time overworking in Engineering without putting any time towards anything else," she admitted, as she hung some old fashioned decorations on the wall. "I was going to initially ignore his advice, but I figured that Voyager wouldn't fall apart if I left for just a few hours. Besides, lately, I've been trying to meet Tom halfway in our relationship."

Smiling, Arianne, who was not about to tell the cheerful B'Elanna that she had been feeling unwell for most of the night and early morning, sat in a chair and tried to ignore the pain in her abdomen and lower back.

"Well, hello Arianne," Neelix said, having spotted the heavily pregnant woman sitting at the table, as he brought a cup full of warm herbal tea over to her. "Here's some warm chamomile tea to wake you up. I must say, although you glow, you don't seem to have had a very restful night."

Taking the cup from Neelix, Arianne sighed, "I had these odd pains in my abdomen and back on and off all night," she said, placing the undrunk tea on the table, as she was in no mood for tea. "I know I'm so close to actually delivering and I'm excited, but I just wish Jonathan could be here to share this moment."

Frowning at the symptoms Arianne described, B'Elanna pulled out a tricorder and scanned Arianne's belly, "Oh, you're closer to delivery than you think, Arianne," she said, suddenly seeing a bit of fluid leaking on to the floor. "Your water just broke and you are in active labour according to my tricorder."

Arianne gasped as a contraction hit her by surprised, "I don't know if I can make it to Sickbay," she said, as she got to her feet painstakingly. "These contractions are amazingly intense."

Swearing in Klingon, B'Elanna grabbed hold of Arianne's arms and led her to the door, "Neelix, hold the fort down!" she shouted, as they left the room. "We may not make it to the party!"

Neelix nodded and thinking that Captain Janeway, who had been sort of a mentor to Arianne ever since she came on Voyager, would like to be present, he quickly tapped his commbadge and waited.

* * *

"Doctor, B'Elanna just brought Arianne into Sickbay!" Tom Paris said breathlessly, as he entered the room where the Doctor hovered over an unconscious man who lay on a biobed. "She's in active labour!"

"Mr. Paris, I'm rather busy with this patient, can you tend to the childbirth yourself with Lieutenant Torres' help?" the Doctor, who was working with a dermal regenerator, said impatiently as he tried to finish sealing the phaser wounds that required surgical repair.

Tom, who was used to the Doctor's emotionless tone, nodded and hearing Arianne's groan, dashed from the room. Rolling his eyes, the Doctor finished his work and reached for a reviving hypospray.

"W-Where am I?" a weak voice spoke, just as the Doctor was prepared to inject the hypospray.

The Doctor looked down and saw the man awake, "You're in Voyager's Sickbay, healing from surgery," he said, taking note of the tiredness in the man's face. "Can you tell me your name and what happened?"

"My name is Jonathan Archer," the man spoke, as slowly he sat up. "I was shot at while transporting."

Before the Doctor could ask more questions, a scream sounded from the other room. Recognizing the scream of his beloved wife, Jonathan bolted off the biobed and ignoring the pain he was in, he hurried into the other room. Concerned, the Doctor followed after him. Jonathan wasn't going to harm himself, however, he wanted to see HER. After all these months, he finally wanted to see his beloved once more.

There, Jonathan saw to his delight, sitting on a biobed, was his beloved Arianne and she was in active labour. All the work to come here had been worth it, Jonathan thought, as he moved to her side.

"Jonathan, my Imzadi, you're HERE!" Arianne shouted, as another contraction came. "Oh, my love, I never thought I would see you again. Our babies, Jonathan, our twins are fast coming into the world…"

Jonathan's eyes widened as he suddenly realized that they would soon be parents to two children, which he though an absolutely wonderful miracle, "I'm here, Imzadi, just relax and I'll help you bring our miracles into the world. I love you and will never leave you alone again."

The door slid open and Captain Janeway, who had been alerted by Neelix to the progressing event in Sickbay, arrived and was shocked to see that Arianne's husband had somehow arrived to see this day.

Smiling, she stood next to B'Elanna, who was helping Arianne to breathe properly, like they had been doing on the journey and since their arrival in Sickbay.

"All right, Arianne, you're fully dilated now," Tom said, as he read the tricorder that the Doctor was using to scan the woman. "Start pushing and don't stop until I tell you."

In all the chaos, Jonathan gently kissed her forehead, "You can do it, Imzadi," he gently cooed. "I'm with you. Always and forever, I'm here to help you."

Feeling that she had all the support in the world on her side, Arianne began to push, eager to have children.

* * *

Lightyears away, within the sacred chambers of New Vulcan, James Tiberius Kirk stood at an altar, dressed in his dress uniform and wearing his Captain's pips, waiting quietly.

Beside him, Sarek stood there in ceremonial robes and silently watching as Spock, his son, and Nyota Uhura, who was dressed in the wedding gown that used to belong to Spock's mother, come towards them.

As the pair reached the altar, Uhura dropped a clear veil over her face as a sign of invitation to Spock, her one and only, to take her as his own. They were both ready to move on in life united as one.

Standing in a row on the other side of the altar, Hikaru Sulu and Pavel Andrevich Chekov watched in admiration at what was taking place before their eyes. They had known for a long time that Spock and Uhura wanted to do this and now they could be witness to a great matrimonial event.

Kirk took a deep breath and gazed at his officers with awe. The ceremony was ready to commence.

* * *

While the ceremony of Spock and Uhura progressed, Doctor Phlox, who had stolen a shuttle with the help of Doctor McCoy, exited Earth's atmosphere and quickly going to warp, he switched to autopilot.

Rising from his chair, Phlox went to the back of the shuttle and sighing, he reached into what looked like a box and gently lifted a sleeping human newborn by to his shoulder. He kissed the baby on the head.

All would turn out all right someday, Phlox knew, as he held the artificially created Archer child close to him. It would only be a matter of time before this child would grow and follow in his father's footsteps.

It would only be a matter of time. Eventually, things would come full circle for everyone.

* * *

**All right, that is the end of this part of the story. Now, I need the opinions of readers in whether or I should make a new story or continue on and in this story, address Voyager getting back to Earth and how things are different and what adjustments must be made in order to successfully survive…What do you all think?**


	15. Three Years Later: Reverse Exodus

2261

Three years had passed since Jonathan and Arianne Archer had reunited on Voyager, which had been making their way back to Earth from the Delta Quadrant. For them, it had been a overwhelming joy.

However, for those who remained in the time that the Archers had left, it had been a somber, yet very chaotic three years as Earth and the nearby known universe had progressed into a new era.

"I, Christopher Pike, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United Federation of Planets, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Charter of the Federation," Admiral Pike, who stood there in complete dress uniform and rank pips, said as he held his hand to an old-fashioned Bible that an elderly Admiral held before him.

"On that day, before millions of viewers, Admiral Christopher Pike was sworn in as the second President of the United Federation of Planets," an Andorian newscaster said, as the previous image dissolved, revealing a newsroom. "The Federation was founded years ago and the force behind it, Jonathan Archer, who was the first President, disappeared three years ago…"

"Lorian, turn that holo-video off and resume your studies," a toneless voice snapped.

Lorian, who was now a nine year old boy of medium height with pointy ears and blonde hair, turned in his seat and seeing his mother there with a stern look on her face, he quickly turned the television off.

"I already finished my homework," Lorian said, rising from the couch. "I was bored and found an old recording of President Pike's inaguration ceremony on TV."

T'Pol sighed, "Well, since you have finished your school assignments, you should perhaps go and amuse yourself doing some chores," she stated. "You know that Jim is resting per the orders of Doctor McCoy and President Pike because he seemed to be overworking himself for no reason. There is no need to wake him."

"Doesn't Papa Jim always overwork though, Mother?" Lorian asked, as they walked into the nearby kitchen of their home, where, feeling suddenly hungry, he eyed the replicator anxiously. "It seems that Doctor McCoy is always over here poking him with one of those spray things to make him rest."

Trying her best not to smile, T'Pol nodded, "That is a logical and accurate statement, Lorian," she said, seeing her son eyeing the replicator. "However, let us not dwell on Jim's inability to recognize his human limits, even defying the orders of a doctor. I assume by the way you gaze at the replicator that you would like me to prepare a meal for you. Sit down at the table and I shall try to make something acceptable."

Lorian obediently sat at the dining table that he, his mother, and Captain Kirk, who all lived together, shared on a daily basis. Sighing at Lorian's inquisitiveness, T'Pol turned her attention to replicating a meal.

In the bedroom that Jim and T'Pol shared, meanwhile, Jim was laying in bed, though not completely asleep.

Because of the recent sedative Doctor McCoy had forced upon him to make him relax, Jim was extremely groggy, but because of his unwillingness to relax, he was only partially asleep.

Jim knew that McCoy meant well, but did he HAVE to be so overprotective? If McCoy wasn't there, constantly keeping him from overwork, he was with Porthos, as he preferred feeding and caring for Porthos to dealing with women. Since his divorce, Bones had preferred to avoid the women, he feared them.

Suddenly, as Jim lay there in a state of semi-consciousness, a powerful shadow enveloped his mind.

"Hello?" Jim said, as he stood in a haze of darkness, feeling that he was not entirely alone.

Out of nowhere, a deep, aged voice spoke, "Jim, my dear friend."

Recognizing the voice, Jim spoke again, "Where are you?" he asked, gazing around.

Out of the shadows, a tall figure stepped into Jim's line of vision. As the fog lifted, Jim recognized the figure to be the older self of his first officer, Spock, whom he had once met on Delta Vega.

"Jim, I have a message for you," the elder Spock spoke, his tone grave. "There is a ship called Voyager in the Delta Quadrant, several hundred years from here. Three years ago, Jonathan Archer seemingly disappeared and most think him dead. This, however, is not the case."

Jim raised an eyebrow, "Archer is alive?" he asked, shocked. "What happened to him and his wife then? Last I heard, he was sent to an off-planet asylum for killing his wife and having self-harming delusions."

Spock chuckled, "Again, that is not the case and all rumors are false," he said. "The Archers are on Voyager and Voyager is close to Earth. However, due to their presence, time will shift and if you and the Enterprise crew do not intervene, all of the universe could be irreversibly damaged, as could history."

Jim said nothing, so Spock continued, "Here is the location at which Voyager will emerge," he said, handing a PADD to Jim. "You must Captain the Enterprise and meet that ship before it has its presence widely known. It will be a dangerous mission, but much will be damaged and lost if this is not done."

Before Jim could speak, the elder Spock walked off into the fog, leaving him alone with the PADD in hand.

Eyes wide, Jim stared at the PADD in his hand. Why was this mission so important for HIM to fulfill?

"Jim, WAIT, you're delusional!" Doctor McCoy shouted, as he chased Jim through the ship. "You can't summon every single crew member off leave in a matter of hours because of a dream you had!"

Ignoring McCoy's words, Jim arrived at a console and within a matter of seconds, he had sent a mass message officially cancelling the shore leave of every single crew member, additionally ordering them to report for duty in a matter of hours for an important mission.

Since the dream ended, Jim had woken up and in heavy grogginess, he had bid farewell to T'Pol and Lorian and borrowed a car to get to the shipyard where the Enterprise was docked.

Concerned for his sanity, T'Pol had contacted Doctor McCoy and concerned that Jim was having some sort of hallucination from the sleep medication, he had brought Porthos with him and had gotten to the ship just in time to see the Captain sending out a mass recall order to the crew.

Immediately, McCoy pulled out his medical tricorder and began scanning Jim, "Jim, your blood pressure is abnormally high and you seem dehydrated," he said, as he chased after the Captain, who seemed set on preparing the Enterprise for launch. "Maybe I just need to alter the dosage of the sleep medication."

Swearing, Jim grabbed McCoy by the shoulders, "Future Spock came to me while I was sleeping and told me that we need to meet this ship at a certain place or else everything could be irreversibly damaged!" he shouted, gazing at McCoy with wide and slightly bloodshot eyes.

Not wanting to argue with McCoy any longer, Jim tore off down another corridor, needing to prepare the ship more before his crew showed up. They were going to do this mission and do it right.

"I TOLD him not to mix that medication with any alcohol," McCoy groaned, as he speed walked after Jim, gripping the leash as he led the eager beagle down the corridor. "Bloodshot eyes, hyper mania, dreams about people who obviously don't exist, psychotic ramblings, I wonder how much he's had to drink….Come on, Porthos, let's keep an eye on him in case he gets hurt."

Meanwhile, hundreds of years and lightyears away, Jonathan Archer was resting on the couch in his family's quarters, watching as two small children, one boy and one girl, slept in their small beds.

Not wanting to wake the children, Jonathan had quietly amused himself by looking over the holo-album that Phlox had made for them years ago, right before the whole accident that sent his wife to the future.

During their three years together on Voyager, Jonathan and Arianne had alternated between raising the children and helping Voyager wherever they could. As a result of their efforts to co-exist with the crew, they had been welcomed with open arms and accepted as part of the Voyager family.

Right now, while Jonathan watched his children sleep, Arianne was off in Sickbay assisting the Doctor, as the usual medical assistant, Tom Paris, who was also the helmsman, was needed on the Bridge, as something concerning the Borg, which sounded like an odd species to Jonathan, was happening.

"Arianne to Jonathan," a voice suddenly sounded over his commbadge, which Captain Janeway had given him. "Lieutenant Torres is in labour and I'm going to be in Sickbay awhile to help the Doctor with her."

Jonathan smiled, he had become friends with every member of the crew over the three years he had been on Voyager with his wife, including B'Elanna Torres-Paris, who, despite being half-Klingon, was a very hard worker and somewhat easy to get along with, as was her husband, Tom, the ship's helmsman.

Originally, to Arianne's amusement, Jonathan had been worried that the first officer, Chakotay, had eyes for his wife, but after talking to Arianne, who laughed it off, his fears had abated.

"Jon?" the voice came again in a worried tone. "How are Kathryn B'Elanna and Charles Tucker doing?"

Coming back to the present, Jonathan smiled, "That time on the holdeck wore them completely out," he said, placing the holo-album on the couch. "Our angels are both completely worn out."

"That's good," Arianne's voice replied over the commbadge. "Oh, B'Elanna's progressing!"

With the communication abruptly cut off, Jonathan sighed and stood to stretch his muscles.

Smiling at his sleeping children, he wandered into their kitchen area to make himself an old fashioned snack. He wasn't a good cook like Arianne or Neelix, but he could avoid burning basic food, occasionally.

On the bridge, Tom Paris sat at the helm, stunned at their current location, which his friend, Ensign Harry Kim had just revealed upon scanning their current location. They were in the Alpha Quadrant.

Normally, considering the hardships of the last seven years, the entire crew would be in a celebratory mood.

However, although they were in the Alpha Quadrant, with only the Solar System separating them from Earth, something seemed unusual about the space before them. The stars seemed misaligned.

Slightly concerned, even though she figured that it was just malfunctioning equipment as a result of their chaotic journey through the transwarp hub to escape a Borg sphere, Captain Janeway had ordered Tom to go to full stop and had then ordered Seven to do a sweep scan of the area from Astrometrics.

"Seven to Captain Janeway," Seven's voice suddenly sounded out on the comm.

"Go ahead," Captain Janeway said, tapping her badge. "What did you find out?"

"According to my sweep scans, we ARE in the Alpha Quadrant," Seven's voice spoke. "However, it seems that we have gone back in time, due to the different positions of the stars and lack of civilizations. I correlated it with past maps of the Quadrant and determined our present location."

Shocked, Captain Janeway swallowed hard, "Where are we in time, Seven?" she asked, her wide eyes trying to ignore the shocked looks from the other Bridge officers.

"According to my research, we are in the year 2261," Seven spoke, her voice slightly anxious. "I have determined that the presence of the Archers on Voyager has caused history to become reversed."

With wide eyes, the entire Bridge crew gazed at the mass of space before them. This was truly the unknown.


	16. Tragic Welcome

"_McCoy to Phlox, respond…..This is an urgent matter…respond."_

_Phlox, who had been in the other room preparing to retire for the evening, hurried into his sparsely decorated sitting room and over to the communication console, which was located in the far corner._

"_Greetings, Doctor McCoy," Phlox said jubilantly, as he switched the view screen on, revealing the tired face of Leonard McCoy. "To what do I owe this call? It's been a year since our last contact."_

_McCoy looked stressed at this comment, "Apparently Captain Kirk had some sort of vision about Voyager coming to our Earth," he said. "I think it's nonsense, myself, but I couldn't stop the Captain from cancelling shore leaves and commencing an investigative mission. Once President Pike heard of what we were doing, he ordered me to contact you. You need to prepare to bring Zachary to Earth."_

_Taking a deep breath, Phlox nodded, "I will make preparations and start the journey in the morning," he promised. "Zachary is already asleep and I would rather he have a good rest before the journey."_

"_Well, that's fine," McCoy replied. "This may just end up being a delusion of the Captain's caused by overwork. If Enterprise goes to the co-ordinates and it turns out to be a hoax, I'm going to triple Jim's sleep medication and ban him from stepping foot on that bridge for the next five months….McCoy out."_

_As the screen went black, Phlox chuckled and moved off into the back bedroom, where there were two cots. _

_In the cot closest to the wall, a small boy , who greatly resembled both Jonathan and Arianne Archer, slept soundly, covered by warm blankets. The other cot was empty, as Phlox was still awake._

_Since the "disappearance" of Jonathan Archer, Phlox had made a life for himself and Zachary, whom he had artificially created with DNA samples, on a remote planet that was a good distance from Earth, but not far from New Vulcan. On occasion, Phlox had taken Zachary there to visit with Spock and his family._

_Phlox quickly laid down on his cot and looked over at Zachary. Oh, how times would change._

* * *

"_Apparently, the presence of the Archers has caused time to reverse itself while Voyager was within the transwarp hub," Seven said, as she stood before not only some of Voyager's senior staff, but also Jonathan and Arianne, all of whom were shocked about the fact that they had gone back in time._

_Since the discovery had been made known to the senior staff, Captain Janeway had ordered Voyager to an uninhabited area of space, several lightyears away from the Solar System, and at her request, Tom had gone to a full stop just as his daughter was born in Sickbay. _

_Instead of being able to go see his family, Tom had come to the meeting and left his family in the care of the Doctor and Arianne, who had acted as a medical assistant during the whole labour process. _

_As soon as he had been informed of Voyager's predicament, Jonathan had come to the meeting, as he was more familiar with the current time as anyone on Voyager, except Arianne, and she was currently occupied. _

"_Bridge to Janeway," the voice of Harry Kim, who had remained on the bridge with Chakotay, suddenly sounded out over the comm. _

_Captain Janeway sighed, "What is it, Mr. Kim?" she said, slightly exasperated._

"_I'm detecting a vessel on an intercepting course with Voyager's current position," Harry Kim's voice replied. "We've hailed them and sent a greeting, but no response."_

"_I'm coming to the bridge," Captain Janeway replied, rising from her seat. "Janeway out."_

* * *

"_YOU P'TAHK, ARE YOU SURE IT'S ARCHER ON THAT SHIP?!" an aggressive voice roared, as a timid looking Xindi Reptilian sat at a console, frantically running scans of Voyager._

_The Xindi-Reptilian nodded, "Along with a lot of other humans, the sensors detect Jonathan Archer on that vessel," it replied. "We are closing in on the vessel…Should we beam him off the ship?"_

"_Duras, don't be foolish!" a voice snapped from another corner of the Bridge. "We can instigate a full attack on this ship and perhaps gain technological advantages. Or have you forgotten that our goal is to successfully attack and take possession of Earth after failed attacks years ago?"_

_Hearing the reprimand, Duras, a very well built Klingon, strode into view and planted himself in the command chair, "Are there any advantages that have been found in the scans you have done on that ship since we caught it on our scanners?" he snapped. "I think waiting is foolish!"_

"_Apparently, there is a technologically superior race called the Borg on their ship," the Xindi Reptilian replied, ignoring the anger in Duras's voice. "Their Captain is also female and might prove a help to us."_

_Duras nodded, intrigued by the prospect of having a female to entertain him since Qo'nos was far away and they were not to return for a while, "Prepare a boarding party for when we are within transport range," he grunted. "We can dissect and study the technological build of this Borg and its species and, although the female Captain will be of help, she will also be valuable company for me."_

"_It will be done shortly, the helmsman, who was a Xindi-Insectoid, said, as he switched on the view screen, showing that Voyager was closer to becoming within reach. "I will soon initiate a tractor beam on the ship."_

_Grunting his approval, Duras slouched and waited. Soon, victory would be within their grasp._

* * *

"_Alien life forms have just beamed into Cargo Bay One!" Harry Kim, who was frantically trying to keep up with the pending chaos. "I don't even recognize their life signs!"_

_Captain Janeway swore, "Evasive manoeuevers," she ordered. "Chakotay, tell the Doctor to keep Arianne, her children, and Lieutenant and Miral Torres in Sickbay and erect a Level Ten force field around Sickbay."_

_While all this was carried out, Jonathan, who had gleaned information about their supposed attackers from scan reports, entered the Bridge accompanied by Seven, "I thought you could use help in dealing with this ship," he said. "From what I can tell, the Commander is a Klingon named Duras, who I used to know."_

_Before Captain Janeway could ask more about Duras and the ship, the doors were blasted open and a variety of Xindi, accompanied by Duras, burst on to the bridge heavily armed._

_Recognizing Captain Janeway, the Xindi-Reptilian quickly strode across the Bridge and seizing her by the throat, he quickly transported her off the Bridge. As Duras started towards Seven, Jonathan, who could see what was happening, fired at Duras, distracting him long enough for Seven to flee from the Bridge._

_Not wanting their opportunity of a technological advantage to escape, three Xindi departed the Bridge after Seven, knowing that if they did not retrieve her, they would be eternally ruined._

_Seeing that Jonathan alone was no match for Duras, Tom rushed to aid him, only to be shot in the chest by a Xindi-Insectoid who was defending Duras. Tom swore and clutching the wound, he started forward again._

_Exasperated by the nosy officer, Duras fired at the helm console with a Xindi weapon. _

_In a matter of seconds, the console had exploded and Tom, who was caught in the explosion, lay unconscious on the floor where the console once stood. Seeing that Tom was badly wounded, Chakotay went forward to aid him, only to be shot several times by another Xindi._

_Angered at Duras, Jonathan managed to grab hold of a Xindi weapon and shoot Duras several times. In turn, several of the Xindi beamed the wounded Klingon off the ship, leaving the Bridge in ruins._

"_Mr. Kim, raise shields and power weapons to hit that vessel," Jonathan said, assuming command. "Also, see if you can make contact with any other parts of the ship."_

_Harry did as he was told, but, before he could send a communication out, a voice came over the intercom, "Arianne to the Bridge," the voice said. "The Doctor just went offline. B'Elanna and Miral are fine, as are our kids. Crew injuries are currently unknown…..What is the status of the Bridge?"_

"_Captain Janeway and Seven were captured by Duras and the Xindi," Jonathan said, as he knelt down to check on the wounded Chakotay and Tom. "Chakotay and Lieutenant Paris were seriously wounded in the fighting…The helm exploded…."_

_Voyager was suddenly fired upon and sent Jonathan to the floor, "Mr. Kim, fire everything you've got at that ship!" Jonathan shouted, as he struggled to regain his balance. _

_Trying to hide his intense fear about the situation, Harry complied, but to no avail. _

_The ship continued to fire and explosions continued to rock Voyager. _

_Jonathan and Harry were nervous, as they knew that although Voyager was a strong ship, many of the crew were possibly injured and couldn't make it to safety and if the firing continued, Voyager would eventually be destroyed. The two continued to watch the view screen, which showed the firing, in horror._

_Suddenly, another ship came into view. Jonathan was shocked: it was the Enterprise NX-01._

_Since Voyager was not in a position to continue the battle, the remaining crew could only watch, as they tended to the wounded Bridge crew, as the Enterprise sent a mass of weapons towards the alien ship._

_Fortunately, the Enterprise proved enough of a contender. Within minutes, the alien ship had retreated at full warp into the depths of space. Unfortunately, they took Seven and Captain Janeway along with them._

"_Admiral Archer, we're being hailed," Harry Kim spoke up suddenly, shocked at the situation._

"_On screen," Jonathan said, anxious to talk to the Enterprise, as it had been three years since he last saw them and, especially now, he was anxious for their assistance._

"_This is Captain James Tiberius Kirk of the USS Enterprise NX-01," Jim Kirk said, as he appeared on Voyager's view screen. "Welcome back to Earth, Admiral Archer, it's been a while."_

_Jonathan nodded, "Yes, it has, Captain Kirk, he said. "We are in dire need of help right now."_


	17. Frantic Adjustments

"Voyager is going to be on the surface in a matter of seconds," Sulu, who was controlling Voyager from the Ops Station, as the Helm was in ruins. "5..4...3...2...1.….All right, Voyager has landed."

"Very good, Mr. Sulu, now prepare to be beamed back to the ship," the voice of Kirk sounded out over Chekov's commbadge. "We're approaching the planet's orbit now."

Chekov nodded and sighing, he stood up. Since the Enterprise had come across the strange ship from the future, there had been not much they could do, but chase off its attackers and provide assistance.

After an away team, which included Captain Kirk and Doctor McCoy, had beamed over to Voyager, action had quickly been taken to keep things from getting worse.

It had quickly been determined that resources to retrieve Captain Janeway and Seven were lacking, so they would have to return to Earth and attempt a rescue after gathering needed people and resources.

McCoy had quickly assessed crew injuries and finding Tom Paris and Chakotay to be the most severely injured, he had, with the help of Harry Kim, who was shaken about the situation, beamed them back to Enterprise for immediate assessment and treatment. Harry had them returned to Voyager.

At Jonathan's request, Arianne had taken Charles and Kathryn to the Enterprise and after getting them safely settled in a room with holo-novels and food, she had gone to Sickbay to help Doctor McCoy, Nurse Chapel, and the orderlies with the large amount of Voyager crew members who had sustained minor injuries in the attack. She had also gotten B'Elanna to lie down and personally examined Miral, who was fine.

After they had been medically cleared, most crew members had divided themselves into groups and using escape pods from Voyager, they had quickly disappeared into the great unknown. Their only link to Voyager would be a communication signal that would sound only when it was safe to return.

People like Samantha Wildman, however, had decided to travel to Earth with Naomi and Icheb, who was distraught over Seven being kidnapped, under her protective care.

Kirk was immediately grateful that there was no language barriers, as their best communications officer, Lieutenant Uhura, had been unable to come on this mission due to personal matters. Of course, as Kirk knew, Spock also had not wanted to leave New Vulcan but Uhura had insisted.

Harry Kim and Sulu had beamed to Voyager and, after discussion with Admiral Archer and Captain Kirk, they had found a remote planet on which to land Voyager, so to avoid detection.

Now, after seeing to the safe departure of those who did not wish to visit Earth of the past, Voyager had been landed and Harry Kim and Chekov were waiting for Enterprise to retrieve them.

"So, Mister Kim, are you thought about what you are going to do once we reach Earth?" Sulu asked, as he gazed at Harry, who was sitting in the damaged First Officer's chair.

Harry shrugged, as he didn't know what he could do on Earth without damaging the timeline, as if he went certain places, he obviously ran the risk of damaging the timeline. Fortunately, before he could reply in such a way to appease Sulu's curiosity, his commbadge beeped.

"Kirk to Sulu, Scotty's going to beam you and Ensign Kim to Enterprise now," the voice of Captain Kirk sounded out over Sulu's commbadge.

Sulu nodded and within a matter of seconds, both he and Harry had dematerialized.

* * *

"B'Elanna, you need to listen to me," Arianne pleaded, as she stood before B'Elanna, who was sitting up in bed and looking upset. "The Federation is still quite new and they have not yet made any peace treaties or alliances of any kind with the Klingons. If Starfleet should find you on board Enterprise, there could be trouble. You're better off going with Spock to New Vulcan and taking Miral with you."

Fighting the urge to cry, B'Elanna shook her head, "I'm NOT leaving Tom!" she shouted, ignoring the nervous looks she was getting from several of the orderlies, many of whom had never seen a female Klingon. "I don't know anything about what's going on or if he's even still alive."

"Listen to me, B'Elanna," Arianne said, as she gently gripped the sleeves of B'Elanna's uniform jacket. "You have become one of my friends and as a friend, I tell you that there is nothing good in your or Miral's future if you come to Earth right now. Doctor McCoy was able to keep Tom from dying, but he can't do anything more but put him into a deep sedation until we reach Earth. New Vulcan is far less prejudiced than Earth, as they are trying to rebuild themselves and indifference doesn't exist. It is perfectly safe there."

Nodding reluctantly, B'Elanna gazed over to the far end of Sickbay, where Tom lay unconscious, heavily bandaged and covered by a blanket. Her eyes watched as Doctor McCoy, who had no idea that he was being watched, pressed some buttons on a console and watched as a containment field materialized around Tom.

Not far from Tom, B'Elanna also saw Chakotay laying unconscious on a bed. She grimaced. Only a gentle tap on the shoulder caused her to look away and re-focus on Arianne and the situation she was facing.

"Spock's father, Sarek, is the leader of New Vulcan and he has been made aware of Voyager's predicament," Arianne explained, as she watched B'Elanna pick Miral up from the nearby neo-natal chamber and place her against her chest. "Both Sarek and Spock will ensure that not only will you and Miral be guaranteed safety in the company of Spock's wife and daughter, they will also work to give you a role in which you can feel useful and productive in spite of the current situation."

Just then, Spock, who had prepared a shuttle to take B'Elanna and Miral to Vulcan, walked into the chaotic Sickbay, "Lieutenant, we must depart immediately if we are to arrive at New Vulcan safely," Spock said, as he approached them. "Nyota and Amanda have been informed and are expecting your arrival."

"I'll keep in touch with you and let you know when it's safe to come back," Arianne promised, her heart breaking as she watched Spock lead B'Elanna and Miral out of the crowded Sickbay.

Knowing that there was still much to be done before Enterprise reached Earth, Arianne sighed and, fighting tears, she turned around and returned to the chaos. Help was needed and it was no time to be selfish.

* * *

Lightyears away, Kathryn Janeway lay on a padded cot, having been claimed by sudden unconsciousness as soon as she arrived on the alien vessel. Her uniform was gone and replaced by a red Klingon-style gown.

"Female Captain, awake!" a gruff voice shouted, as a Klingon sentry entered the room where Janeway was being held. "The Borg must be dissected and then the matrimonial joining will be at hand!"

Suddenly, as if she had heard him, Janeway woke and stared at the Klingon, "Where am I?" she asked, pulling herself into a sitting position. "Where's Seven at?"

"You are on the T'Alang, Female Captain," the sentry replied. "As for the Borg that came with you, she is sedated and being prepared for dissection in the lab. You are to monitor and help the dissection proceed. Following the completion of it, you will be matrimonially joined to Duras in the Qo'nos Great Hall."

Realizing that she had little choice to comply for the moment, Janeway rose and followed the Klingon sentry out of the room and down a long hallway to a steel door. The door immediately opened.

Stepping inside what looked like a science lab, Janeway was suddenly horrified to see Seven laying on a metal biobed, unconscious and connected to many restraints with two needles pointed at either side of her head, as if she was going to be a lab experiment. However, there was no way to save her at the moment.


	18. Homeward Shocks

"Jim, it's good to hear from you," T'Pol said, as Jim Kirk appeared on a communications view screen. "Did your dream amount to anything substantial?"

Jim, who had shut himself up in his quarters under the pretense of following Doctor McCoy's order to delegate command to Jonathan and rest until they got back to Earth, had instead contacted T'Pol, "T'Pol, you might think me crazy, but the timeline is going to be damaged worse than ever before," he explained, trying to keep calm. "It's all Arianne Archer's fault, as she brought some friends with her from the future."

T'Pol said nothing, so Jim continued, "Apparently, this ship from the future travelled backwards in time because of Arianne's presence," he stated. "They ended up getting attacked by a ship of Xindi and Klingons and now some of Voyager's crew is being held hostage by this new enemy. This would have never happened if Arianne hadn't gotten herself involved in a private experiment!"

"I can perhaps arrange for Arianne to be put on trial before President Pike for violating regulations and protocols concerning time travel and history alteration," T'Pol suggested, raising an eyebrow at what Jim was telling her. "Her illegal journey in time should not go unpunished."

Jim nodded, "I agree, but Pike might be sympathetic to her, as she was pregnant when she was involved in that accident," he replied. "However, do what you can. I don't want her getting off scot free for it."

"I must go now and get Lorian off to school," T'Pol said, placing a hand on the screen. "I hope to see you soon, Jim. Since you went off into space again, it has been too quiet and too lonely."

Jim touched the screen, "I miss you," he said, as the image faded to black.

Sighing, Jim rose from his chair and instantly fell on to his nearby bed, where exhaustion claimed him.

"Keptin, aye am detickting several humans within the perimiter of Orbital Station," Chekov said, as he saw Kirk, who looked like he had no rest, come on to the bridge. "I am also detecting electronic eqeepmint."

At the mention of a group of humans with electronic equipment, Jonathan, who deduced that reporters had been told about his and Arianne's return, jumped up out of the Captain's chair and hurried off the Bridge to warn Arianne of the chaos they were arriving to. Kirk swore and sat in the command chair.

"Sir, we're being hailed," Harry Kim, who was currently manning the comm, said.

"Onscreen," Jim said, slouching in his chair.

"Good grief, Kirk, you can't seem to avoid trouble, can you?" President Pike, who was dressed in full Admiral attire, asked, as he appeared on the screen. "I assume that you found Voyager?"

Jim, who was impressed that Pike got right to the point, nodded, "Yeah, we found Voyager," he replied, rising from his chair. "Unfortunately, they were attacked by an enemy ship and we sort of had to rescue them, but we didn't get them all. The ship is commanded by some Klingon named Duras that Admiral Archer seems to know and there are also some aliens referred to as Xindi involved."

Rolling his eyes, President Pike sighed, "I expect to meet with you in my office for a debriefing as soon as possible, Jim," he stated in a tired voice. "I assume the press are mobbing the orbital station?"

"Yes, sir," Jim replied. "As soon as they were detected on sensors, Admiral Archer bolted from the Bridge to probably go warn his wife about it. "Is there any way to get around this sudden media fanfare?"

President Pike nodded, "The media cannot be avoided forever, but I can send out a planet-wide order that bars the media from reporting on any of this unless I am present," he explained. "Instead of a media mob at the orbital station, a press conference could be arranged after everything settles down a bit."

Jim nodded, hating the very thought of dealing with a media mob right away, as he had years ago after the Enterprise returned to Earth after defeating Nero. "That sounds good, sir, but not all of us can realistically stay up in orbit," he protested. "Bones needs to take some patients to Starfleet Medical."

"Well, I am assuming that there was some major trouble up there otherwise you wouldn't be countering my orders," President Pike replied, realizing that this whole incident wasn't as cut and dry as it originally seemed. "Tell you what, take Enterprise around to where you can safely enter orbit and land at the shipyard in Iowa. I'll come and meet you there and help organize things. Then we'll have a private debriefing."

"Agreed, we'll see you in Iowa within the hour, sir, Kirk out," Jim said, as Pike nodded and turned off the view screen.

Spinning his chair around to point away from the screen, Jim sighed. It was already hard being home.

"Jonathan, WHY does Captain Kirk want us to be in the first group of people off the ship in Iowa?" Arianne asked, as she paced the quarters they were temporarily assigned. "What's going on?"

Not wanting his wife to know that not only President Pike was coming to greet them, but Phlox was also bringing Zachary, whom she had no idea of, Jonathan merely shrugged, "Perhaps there's some press that want to interview us about where we've been for the past three years," he lied.

Arianne, who clearly knew that he was lying, glared at him, "Nice try, Jonathan," she snapped, her nervousness apparent in her voice. "I heard the announcement from Captain Kirk that said that effective immediately, President Pike has currently banned any media intrusions from taking place."

If only she knew what was about to happen. Jonathan thought, as he turned away to hide his smile.

Before Arianne, who was annoyed at him keeping secrets, could try and get information out of him, the children's bedroom door slid open and three year old Kathryn, who had blond hair and looked like both of her parents, hurried into the sitting area. Arianne was pleased to see that Kathryn had dressed herself.

"Charles says that he's gonna live on the ship forever," Kathryn spoke in a high-pitched voice, as she twirled before her parents to show off her. "He doesn't want to go live in Iowa."

Jonathan chuckled, "Katie, we're not going to LIVE in Iowa," he gently corrected her. "That's just where the ship is going to land. After we're off, we'll be going to San Francisco and we'll live near the ocean."

Kathryn smiled, "Can you and Mommy teach me how to swim in the ocean?" she asked, as she threw her arms around Jonathan and hugged him excitedly.

"Of course we will," Jonathan promised, happy that Kathryn was satisfied with their future plans. "Now, you need to go and make sure that you're all ready to leave once we reach Iowa, all right?"

Kathryn nodded and giving Jonathan a peck on the cheek, she ran off to the room that she and her twin brother shared to get ready. She had yet to actually see Earth and she was very excited about it.

Jonathan sighed and stood up, "Looks like Charles could use some fatherly advice," he said, smiling.

"You can tell him whatever you want," Arianne said, smiling as she got to her feet. "I need to go see if other crew members need assistance and then I'll be back. I love you and please, Jonathan, be gentle."

Nodding, Jonathan walked off to the twins bedroom. Arianne smiled and quietly left their quarters.

Soon, they would be on their home soil. Would they still remember what being there felt like?

"Well, well, Jonathan Archer, it's been a while," President Pike said, as his hover chair stopped in front of Jonathan, Arianne, and their two children. "I welcome you and your family back to Earth."

As a sign of respect, Jonathan quickly got to one knee so that he was at eye level with President Pike, "It hasn't quite sunk in yet that my family and I are home, sir," he admitted. "I'm sure it'll sink in once we actually return to San Francisco. However, for the moment, where is Phlox at? He said he would come."

Before President Pike could reply, Doctor McCoy, who had just been putting the wounded Tom and Chakotay into stasis pods, hurried down the boarding ramp, "President Pike, let's make this greeting as quick as possible," he said. "I hate to sound rude, but I just put a couple of critically wounded patients into stasis and I need to get them to Starfleet Medical sooner than later. Where are Phlox and Zachary?"

"Bones, hurry up and get things arranged!" Kirk, who had seemingly forgotten about President Pike's presence, shouted from inside the ship. "Ensign Kim is going to stay and help Scotty form a team to go back to Voyager and see what can be done there! We also need to meet with President Pike about figuring out a way to go after Duras and these Xindi aliens to save Captain Janeway and that half-human from death."

Upon hearing that information revealed, Pike's mouth dropped open and his eyes went wide, "What in heaven's name went on up there?" he asked, still reeling from the information that Kirk just shouted out. "I think that after the medical stuff is dealt with, there needs to be a COMPLETE debriefing!"

"Um, Arianne, I think there's something I need to tell you," Jonathan suddenly spoke, afraid that Kirk was going to speak about their artificially created third child before he had a chance to tell her himself.

Unfortunately, before Jonathan had the chance to say anything more, Phlox, who had been awaiting the NX-01's arrival in a nearby security station, came out to the ship leading Zachary by the hand.

"Admiral and Lieutenant Commander Archer, it's good to see you after such a long time," Phlox said, as he reached President Pike's side. "Zachary, I would like you to meet your mother and father."

Zachary, who had been told of his heroic parents by many people over the past three years while he was immensely educated in the basics of everything a small child needed to know, silently stepped forward and without warning, he hugged Jonathan's legs. Arianne gave Phlox a questioning look.

"Jonathan, what is going on?" Arianne asked, suspicious as to why some strange child, who suspiciously resembled both of them, was hugging Jonathan's leg. "Who is this child and why is he hugging you?"

Phlox chuckled, "Three years ago, before your husband departed to join you in the future, he provided some of his DNA in hopes that he could preserve the Archer name should he never return," he spoke up, unaware that Jonathan had never told Arianne of this. "I mixed it with some of your DNA gathered from the transporter accident and created an artificial egg, which developed in a contained incubator. For the past three years, I have cared for Zachary on a planet that is not far from New Vulcan to keep him safe."

"Look, Arianne, I should have told you sooner," Jonathan apologized, letting out a deep sigh. "However, with all that we've been through on Voyager, I wasn't sure of the right time to bring this up."

Trying to make sense of this sudden bombshell that was dropped on her, Arianne blinked and took a step back, "I think I just need to be alone for a while to process this, Jonathan." she said, ignoring the sudden weakness and dizziness she was feeling. "You help get people to San Francisco. I'll come alone later on."

Quickly, as it sunk in that Charles and Kathryn were not her only children any longer, Arianne felt herself suddenly lose balance and begin to fall backwards. As Arianne fell, her world quickly faded to black.

"ARIANNE!" a voice shouted, in the background. "SPOCK, MCCOY, GET OVER HERE NOW!"


	19. Situational Ragings

After what seemed like an eternity, Arianne awoke to find herself laying down on a biobed.

Swearing, she pulled herself upright and saw that she was sitting across from the stasis pods that held the wounded Tom and Chakotay. _I must be on McCoy's medical shuttle, she thought, as she stood up._

"_Oh, good, you're awake," McCoy suddenly commented, as he came into the room and saw Arianne on her feet. "Jonathan wanted to talk to President Pike, so he put you on the shuttle to San Francisco that I chartered to transport Mr. Paris and Mr. Chakotay. You can probably help with the surgeries."_

_Arianne frowned, "Where are my children at?" she asked, gazing around at the quiet back room. _

"_Oh, all three of them are up front watching the pilot," McCoy replied. "Look, I'm sorry that you heard the news about Zachary the way you did. I'm sure your husband had his reasons not to tell you before Jim and Phlox dropped the bombshell on you. Anyway, I've got to monitor the two stasis pods for a bit."_

_Sighing, Arianne, who had suddenly remembered that she had promised B'Elanna that she would make sure that Tom would be looked after, walked over to the stasis pod that held the wounded helmsman, "I'm not mad that Jonathan kept the news about Zachary from me, as I understand why he did," she admitted. "However, my opinion of Jim Kirk is still that he is an arrogant fool who takes too many risks and doesn't use his head half the time. Personally, I'm glad that you and Spock are around to keep him grounded."_

"_Well, seeing how Jim has acted over the past three years, I would have to agree with you on that," McCoy said, as he examined Chakotay's stasis pod. "It's that Vulcan lady he's taken up with that's made him loony. From what I have seen, T'Pol has used her Vulcan powers to control Jim's common sense and decency."_

"_From what I heard, she tried that Vulcan stuff on Jonathan first," Arianne admitted, remembering back to what Jonathan had told her about T'Pol attempting to seduce him. "Fortunately, Jon is stronger than that."_

_McCoy sighed, "Now that you and Jonathan are home, I wonder if she'll try any scheming to make you pay for the journey you made," he said. "Mind you, time travel is still currently illegal."_

_Nodding, as McCoy made some very good points about how she seemed to be getting off easy for the whole journey she had involuntarily taken, Arianne returned to the front of the ship to check on her kids._

_McCoy re-studied Tom's vitals and swore under his breath. They had better reach Starfleet Medical soon._

* * *

"_Duras is getting up there in years, but he apparently still holds a grudge against me," Jonathan said, as he sat in the visitor's chair at President Pike's desk. "I feel guilty that Voyager was dragged into this."_

_Right after McCoy and his patients had boarded the shuttle to San Francisco, Jonathan and President Pike had retreated into the nearby offices reserved for Starfleet personnel when they were in the area, Spock had remained with others who were busy shutting down the ship in the meantime._

_President Pike sighed, "Well, it's certainly bad enough that that ship was dragged into the past," he said, as he compiled orders on a PADD. "However, now we have to plan a rescue mission to rescue this Captain Janeway and Seven of Nine without causing any major damage to the timeline. It's a mess, Jonathan."_

"_I know that we can't just go into this without a plan and good firepower," Jonathan replied. "Duras is a maniac and the Xindi are very dangerous. Put together, they are contenders against Earth."_

"_It will take a few weeks to gather enough information about these enemies," President Pike said, as he finished writing on the PADD and slid it across the desk. "In the meantime, I'm making you the head of Diplomatic and Societal Affairs for the Federation. Along with that, I am making you overseer of all current ships in Federation possession, including the Enterprise NX-01."_

_Jonathan raised an eyebrow, "Isn't the NX-01 Captain Kirk's ship?" he asked, confused._

"_Look, Jonathan, over the past three years, Jim has behaved in a rather uncharacteristic manner and I am at a loss as to WHY," President Pike explained. "It might very well have something to do with that Vulcan woman and her son he's involved himself with, but I'm not entirely sure that's the whole reason for his strange behavior. Nevertheless, I don't want the crew to become negatively impacted should Captain Kirk someday not be up to retaining command. Should it ever be determined that Kirk is unable to captain, you'll be placed in command of the NX-01. Spock has already agreed to this and is willing to comply with this."_

_Jonathan, who was shocked at Pike's words, said nothing, so President Pike continued, "I know Spock is first officer, but he's got both his family and New Vulcan to worry about, so it's easier that you should take command should Kirk be unable to," he explained patiently, fully expecting a reaction. "You have the ability to balance things emotionally better than he does. You also have a wife that is willing to stand at your side and help you lead, even if it means death for both of you. That is why I am officiating this order."_

"_Well, I'll talk this over with Arianne when I can get a shuttle to San Francisco," Jonathan said, knowing that she would probably hate the risks, but accept it. "However, I can see and understand the logic you put into making this decision and I wholeheartedly accept the assignments."_

_President Pike smiled, "Excellent, I'll let Spock know of your decision," he replied. "As for getting to San Francisco, sit tight for a moment and I'll see if a shuttle can't be fast tracked for you."_

_In silence, President Pike turned to his comm screen, which was behind his desk, and began transmitting orders for an immediate shuttle to San Francisco. Jonathan sighed tiredly, perhaps he could rest soon._

* * *

"_All right, the bio-analysis needles have been injected and are holding the Borg securely," a Xindi-Reptilian, who was monitoring Seven's biosigns from a console, said. "Whenever you're ready, Duras, the extraction process can commence."_

_From his throne-like command chair, which sat at the far end of the room, Duras grinned menacingly, "I think I'll let the Female Captain do the extraction," he said, gesturing to Captain Janeway, who was bound to the throne by a large metal chain. "She will be able to interpret this information from the future for us."_

_Careful not to say what he thought of the female Captain, the Xindi-Reptilian nodded in complete silence. _

_With a grunt, Duras released Captain Janeway from the chain, "Go, Female Captain, and help with the extraction of the information we seek," he ordered, giving her a shove from her backside. "This will ensure your safety in the coming days. As long as you are compliant, you will be treated with respect."_

_Captain Janeway reluctantly nodded, as she wanted to distract Duras long enough to give her crew, as well as the Starfleet personnel from this era, time to develop and launch not only a rescue plan, but also a plan in which this disgusting Klingon and his strange alien slaves would end up destroyed._

_Forcing herself to smile at Duras, Captain Janeway lifted the hem of the provocative Klingon gown that she was being forced to wear all the time and moved over to the console in front of where Seven's body lay._

"_I'm so sorry, Seven," Captain Janeway whispered, as she began to extract information from her friend._

* * *

_All the way back in San Francisco, Doctor McCoy sighed as he moved to the nearby sink to scrub his hands in preparation for surgery on Tom. Chakotay had just been tended to and would be all right very soon._

_While McCoy scrubbed, Arianne had helped the surgical nurse from Starfleet Medical move Chakotay into a large room that was designated for patients recovering from surgery. Fortunately, Chakotay only had lost half of his spleen and suffered a concussion and minor phaser burns. In the long run, he would recover._

_Unfortunately, the hard work had not yet been addressed. Because of being in front of the helm when it exploded, Tom suffered burns on thirty percent of his body, punctured lungs, and several pieces of the helm had embedded themselves in several internal organs, except the heart, during the fight on Voyager. _

_After merely stabilizing him, McCoy, who had not wanted to take chances on the man's life, had heavily sedated him and enclosed him in a stasis pod. Now it was safer to operate, as there were fewer risks._

_Trying not to swear, Arianne gazed on the unconscious Chakotay with a feeling of immense sadness, it was horrible to see people who had, in the past three years, become like her family. Not only that, she thought, as she looked at the vital signs monitor, but she didn't know if Tom would even make it out alive. McCoy would try his best, but the injuries were severe and if Tom died, B'Elanna's heart would be irreparable._

"_So, the chronic fainter is finally awake," a sarcastic voice sounded out from behind Arianne. "I figured that you'd either be still asleep, or pestering Bones about drugs to balance your mind out."_

_Trying not to scream, Arianne turned and saw Captain Kirk leaning against the doorway with a smirk on his face. Raising an eyebrow, Kirk strode into the room and over to where she stood._

"_How'd you get to San Francisco, Captain Kirk?" Arianne asked, trying to be polite._

_Flashing Arianne a grin, Jim scoffed, "I borrowed a shuttle from the hangar after President Pike and Admiral Archer went off to have a meeting," he replied, his voice full of cockiness. "I figure it's only a matter of time before both of you are court-martialled for illegal time alteration."_

"_President Pike merely wanted to chat with Jonathan about the past three years," Arianne replied, trying to keep her temper in check, as much as she wanted to knock the stuffing out of him. "That's why he sent me and the children to San Francisco with Doctor McCoy. He wanted to give us a chance to relax."_

"_Oh, speaking of your children, I heard they are doing school studies in the Starfleet Science Labs under Scotty's supervision," Kirk snarled. "I didn't think you wanted your kids around long enough to let them be kids. Like all parents, you ship them off to school purgatory when they're old enough to talk. It's a shame, good kids are going to be educated and turned into officers before they bond with their parents."_

"_I suggest you shut up now, Jim," Arianne said, quickly becoming angry at the comments being made._

"_Not everyone's cut out or wants to be a parent," Jim said in a rude tone. "No doubt that's why you fainted when Phlox showed you that you had a third kid artificially. You were probably looking to dump your kids in school then go off into space like my mom did. Then, all of a sudden, you have a third child!"_

_Before Jim knew what was happening, Arianne, who had completely lost control of her raging emotions, began to punch him in the face and chest repeatedly, even after the first punch had sent him flying across the room on the floor. Arianne was beating him senseless and his blood was quickly decorating the floor._

"_What is going on here?!" McCoy suddenly shouted, having come to see if Arianne could help him and finding her beating the crap out of Captain Kirk in a fit of uncontrollable rage. "Arianne?!"_

_Suddenly realizing what she had done, Arianne stopped and without taking a breath, she turned and in silence, she fled the building, despite hearing McCoy's shouts for her to come back._

_Trying to process what she had just done and how long it would be before there was a warrant issued for her arrest on charges of assaulting a superior officer, Arianne stopped just outside the building._

_Suddenly, Arianne felt a gentle pressure on her neck. She heard a gentle hiss as she quickly passed out._


	20. Mental Invasions to Breakdown

"Uhhhh….Bones, where am I?" Jim moaned, as he awoke to find Doctor McCoy standing over him with a medical tricorder. "I feel like I've been run over by a shuttle at maximum warp."

Several hours had passed since Kirk had been found unconscious on the floor of the patient bay.

After making sure that Jim wasn't critically injured, McCoy had left him to regain consciousness and had managed to pull Tom through surgery. Although Tom would live, he was currently in a medication-induced coma to give his body a chance to heal. Chakotay had regained consciousness and now was asleep again.

Doctor McCoy sighed and shut his tricorder, "You're in the Starfleet Medical patient bay," he said, as he moved off to a medical cabinet to search for necessary equipment. "I have to sedate you in a moment to fix your injuries….You'll be here for a few days to heal."

"The last thing I remember is being hollered at by Admiral Archer's wife," Jim said, as he began to feel intense pain radiating from his body. "I think she beat me up a little, but I can't exactly remember."

Returning from the cabinets with the equipment that he needed, McCoy held back the urge to laugh, "A LITTLE, Jim?!" he snapped. "She broke four of your ribs, gave you a concussion, broke your nose, and gave you multiple cuts and bruises. Not to mention that you broke your wrist when you hit the floor."

"Wow, that dame did all that?!" Jim said, shocked at how much Arianne injured him. "I hope she's getting court-martialled for beating up a superior officer. I bet Pike came and took her off to jail already…"

McCoy frowned, as he prepped the hypospray that would sedate the Captain, "Actually, Jim, I don't know where she went," he replied. "Once I came in and saw what she was doing, I commented on it and she took off out of here like a scared rabbit. Perhaps she ran into Jon and he calmed her down."

As if he had heard his name, Jonathan, who had gotten a ride to San Francisco with President Pike in the Presidential shuttle, entered the patient room alone, as Pike had gone off to work in his office for a while, "Where's Arianne at, Doctor McCoy?" he asked, not surprised to see Kirk on the bio bed. "I understood that she would be here, helping you."

"Admiral, my thought is that your wife is crazy and needs psychiatric counselling," Jim spoke, his voice weak, as McCoy had injected him with drugs that would relax him before surgery. "I just got the tar beaten out of me by her and then she ran off to goodness knows where…"

At that, Jonathan's mouth dropped open in shock, yet there was a smile in his eyes of admiration for his wife not putting up with Kirk, "Perhaps she thought you deserved a little aggressive humility," he commented, trying his best to remain neutral. "She wouldn't have done it otherwise."

"Sorry, Admiral, but I need to sedate Jim and perform surgery on him now," McCoy suddenly spoke up, not wanting to hear more of Jim's stupid excuses about why Arianne gave him what he obviously earned. "I would imagine your wife went to visit your kids and Scotty over at the Science Lab."

Jonathan nodded, "Thanks, Doctor McCoy," he replied, turning away. "I'll be talking to President Pike soon and we'll both be wanting a word with Captain Kirk in a few days, once he's up for it."

Not wanting to say anything more at the moment, Jonathan left the room in silence. Rolling his eyes, McCoy injected Jim with the hypo-sedative and prepared to commence the surgery.

As Jim fell unconscious, McCoy wondered what had become of Arianne and if she was all right.

Of course he didn't love Arianne, as she was Jon's, but he cared for her as a good friend.

* * *

"It's been long enough, wake her NOW!" a harsh voice shouted.

Footsteps approached the table where the sedated Arianne Archer lay, restrained by clamps so that she couldn't escape when she was woken. A hypospray was pressed to her neck and a gentle hiss sounded.

Arianne opened her eyes and was alarmed to find herself strapped to a table, "Hello?" she asked, moving her head around only to see gray walls and a force field separating her from the rest of wherever she was.

"Lieutenant Commander Archer, we meet again," a voice sounded out as the lights were switched on.

Arianne was shocked to see none other than T'Pol, who was dressed in a brownish-gray catsuit, standing on the other side of the force field with an uncharacteristically fierce look on her face, "T'Pol, where am I?" she asked, staring at the Vulcan. "Why am I strapped to this exam table?"

"You're being held pending a medical examination that will extract information that Starfleet needs to make a decision on what consequences there will be for your illegal time exploration," T'Pol stated, even though it was all a lie. "The Federation has given full authority to the Vulcan Medical Council to perform the examination and relay the results to their Intelligence Division."

Arianne froze, surely President Pike and Jonathan had not secretly conspired to have her examined by Vulcans over a matter she had absolutely no control over. Suddenly, she felt very afraid.

"Now, Lady Archer, don't fret," a black-haired Vulcan man, who was wearing a long, white furry cloak said, as he emerged from a steel door at the far end of the cell. "I am Doctor Malek and I will be conducting the examination through a process called a mind meld that will allow me to understand your experiences."

Before Arianne knew what was happening, Doctor Malek placed his hands on Arianne and gripped her face roughly, "My thoughts are your thoughts…" he said, as the world faded around Arianne….

"_I don't know if this is such a good idea, Trip," Arianne, who was a newly promoted Lieutenant junior-grade, said as she sat with Commander Tucker at a table in the Enterprise's Mess Hall. "I can't believe you convinced your Captain to ask me to join him in walking his beagle around the ship later tonight. I'm not saying that Captain Archer is horrible, it's just going to be awkward to spend time with someone that is a much more competent officer than I am. I'm feeling a bit nervous about it…."_

"_Ah, Ari, settle down," Commander Tucker said, smiling. "The Cap'n will treat ya with lots of respect."_

As she watched from a screen, T'Pol winced in disgust. Commander Tucker had set the two of them up?

"_There was nothing that could be done, Captain," Phlox said, as he gazed over to a bio-bed, where a body lay under a sheet. "Commander Tucker's injuries were too severe."_

_A much younger Arianne, who had been told of Trip's injuries and subsequent death, came into Sickbay and embraced Captain Archer, who was standing in the middle of Sickbay, staring blankly at Trip's covered corpse, from behind. "Jon, I just heard," Arianne said, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Jon, Trip meant a lot to both of us and I will miss him as well."_

_Jonathan turned and faced Arianne, his face full of sadness, "You have been a wonderful support to me ever since we first journeyed into the Delphic Expanse a year ago," he said, gently taking her hands. "Please, Arianne, will you please accept my hand in marriage? I know with Trip's death, this is an awkward time, but I need you to keep me sane."_

_Arianne smiled, "Yes, Jon, I will become your wife," she said, smiling._

_By now, T'Pol was overly tired of watching the romantic past of the Admiral and this woman. She winced._

"_Tap into memories that occurred while she was in the future," T'Pol ordered, trying not to let her intense emotions get the better of her. "We need to know what she learned there."_

_Doctor Malek nodded and gripping Arianne's face tighter, "I am seeing a man and yourself crying in anguish in a Sickbay over a great loss," he said, as he dug into Arianne's deeper, more recent memories. "I also see her being assaulted by some Hirogen in a strange French environment._

_For several minutes, Malek kept digging into Arianne's most painful and personal memories while, in silence, T'Pol observed the process on a nearby view screen. Arianne had had enough._

"_STOP IT NOW!" Arianne roared, unable to take this mental rape any longer. "You have NO authorization to do this! I want to speak with President Pike, Jonathan, and Doctor McCoy NOW!"_

_Malek hissed, "Quiet, Lieutenant Commander," he snapped, releasing her and turning his back. "I am going to give you a sedative so that you will be quiet. I want to finish my examination."_

_Realizing that once she was re-sedated, this Vulcan doctor would continue the mental torture, and possibly do much worse, Arianne used all of her determination to break through the clamps. Before Malek knew what was happening, Arianne had grabbed hold of his phaser and hurriedly shot him in the chest._

_As Malek crumpled to the floor, Arianne got off the biobed and with one shot, the controls that activated the force field were blasted to pieces and the force field was down. T'Pol rose and drew her phaser to stop Arianne, but Arianne, in her determination to escape, hit T'Pol across the head with the phaser._

_Now that T'Pol was temporarily stunned, Arianne looked at the setting of Malek's phaser. To her shock, it was set to kill. Horrified, Arianne changed the setting to stun and fled the area before they Vulcans awoke._

_In light of what had happened, Arianne knew that she couldn't talk to President Pike or even to Jonathan until she figured things out. She would talk to Spock, as he would help her find the truth quickly. _

_Even though Spock was a Vulcan, he would never harm her. He would be able to provide needed answers._

* * *

"_I do not understand why you cannot talk with anyone else about this," Spock said, as he sat at the helm of the shuttle he was going to use to pay a visit to New Vulcan. "From what you have told me, this is a serious matter that should be brought to Starfleet's attention and severely dealt with."_

_Since fleeing the building, Arianne had gone to the Science Lab and collected her children from a flabbergasted Scotty. She had then taken them to the shuttle bay, where she found Spock preparing to depart for a short visit to the New Vulcan colony. Despite Spock's protest, she had come aboard with her kids._

_After settling Kathryn, Charles, and Zachary with PADD's to read, Arianne had told Spock all that had happened, beginning with her fight with Kirk and ending with the mental rape by T'Pol and Malek. Spock had recommended that she tell President Pike and Jonathan, but Arianne had refused._

_Arianne shook her head, "No, Spock," she replied, as she buckled her children up in their seats and took a nearby seat for herself. "I need a short time away from Earth, with the children, to figure out what is going on and who can be trusted. When I have had time to think, perhaps I will talk with Starfleet then."_

_Spock nodded, "When we reach New Vulcan, I will ensure you are settled with Nyota, Amanda and the guests from Voyager," he acceded. "Perhaps then you could notify your husband of your plans."_

_Not sure who she could trust anymore, Arianne merely nodded and was silent as Spock turned to the controls and started the engines. Perhaps the respite from Earth was the best thing to do for a little while._

_Within minutes, the shuttle was airborne and leaving Earth's atmosphere._


	21. Foundations of Healing

"It's usually quiet at this time of day," Spock said, as he turned the shuttle engines off and turned to look at Arianne. "Most of the citizens are just now waking up and beginning their day."

Arianne sighed, ignoring the brightness of the rising sun. The shuttle had just landed on a desert-like surface that was within walking distance of the main colony of New Vulcan.

"Kathryn, Zachary, Charles, we're at New Vulcan," Arianne gently spoke, shaking her children, who were asleep on the benches that were in the back of the borrowed shuttlecraft. "We are on New Vulcan."

With a groan, all three of the children opened their eyes and sat up, "Why are we at New Vulcan, Mommy?" Charlie, who was clearly confused as to why they left Earth, especially without their family patriarch, asked. "Is Daddy going to meet us here later?"

"Charlie, we're here to visit your Aunt Nyota and her child, Amanda, as well as B'Elanna and her daughter, Miral," Arianne replied, trying not to show the distress she was feeling inside. "I am not sure if your father will be coming here or not. Once we're all settled, I'll contact Earth and we'll talk about it."

"Why do we need to be settled, Mom?" Zachary asked, confusion in his voice. "From what I read, settling is what people do when they go someplace to LIVE. I don't really want to live on New Vulcan."

Fighting the urge to cry, Arianne gazed at Spock helplessly, "Spock, is it possible to begin the journey to your home?" she asked. "I am anxious to get the children settled and relieve my own fatigued self."

"Seeing as I notified Nyota of our pending arrival while we were still in space, I see no reason why we cannot proceed to the family dwelling," Spock replied, as he rose from his chair. "I will accompany you and your children there and once you are in the care of Nyota and B'Elanna, I can come back and store this shuttle according to the proper protocols and procedures established by the High Council."

Helping her children stand, Arianne rose and nodded gratefully, "Thank you, Spock," she replied.

Giving a nod, Spock helped Arianne and the children from the shuttle. Fortunately, they could all walk well.

Then, making sure that they were all wide awake, the Vulcan led Arianne and her children towards the idyllic area that was New Vulcan. Arianne's mind was far from quiet, however. Oh, how she worried!

* * *

"_So, THIS is the famous Captain Kirk I've read about in history books?!" a voice asked, intrigued by the unconscious form on the biobed. "He looks incredibly young to have accomplished a lot."_

"_Chakotay, you may be conscious, but if you don't stop babbling about things that have not yet happened, I'll hypo you and you'll stay asleep for a while," the voice of McCoy snapped, clearly annoyed. "Your body hasn't had a real chance to heal because you refuse to let it. Now go back to sleep!"_

_Hearing those somewhat familiar voices, Jim opened his eyes and, upon forcing himself into a sitting position, he saw that he had been operated on, but, instead of being in the standard patient recovery room, he was in a small room that clearly looked like an isolation chamber. What had happened to him?_

"_Jim, lay back down right now and don't try anything stupid!" a voice suddenly shouted as Kirk saw McCoy, who had seen Jim regain consciousness through the transparent doors, hurry into the room. "You are far from fit to be in command right now."_

_Jim gave McCoy a look, "Why, because of Arianne beating the ever-living tar out of me?" he asked, thinking that the injuries were a stupid reason to keep him from command. "I can work through a few minor injuries, I just need to go at a slower pace. Heck, Bones, I've done it before."_

"_You don't get it, Jim," McCoy snapped, trying not to slap some sense into his patient. "You've been suffering from an advanced case of a rare virus for the past few weeks. The virus, although it has no name, is known to affect common sense and judgment. From what Phlox has told me, it originates as a rapid hormonal increase in Vulcan females and it can pass itself as a virus throughout living organisms."_

_Jim blinked, "What's so advanced about that, Bones?" he asked, laying back down. "If it's anything like the flu, I can work through it. Just give me a hypo and I'll be good as new very soon."_

"_You've been in the Starfleet patient bay for nearly a week, Jim," McCoy explained, as he pulled out a medical tricorder and scanned the Captain. "Along with your healing injuries, you ended up with a high temperature and such fever-induced delirium that I had to keep you heavily medicated most of the time."_

_Horrified that he had been unconscious for a week, Jim, who was still feeling weak, sighed, "How long until I can get out of here?" he asked. "I have to visit T'Pol and Lorian. I also have to be a Captain, Bones."_

"_Well, if you behave yourself and rest, I'd say you can leave for a few days," McCoy said, as he snapped the medical tricorder shut and placed it on a nearby console. "I highly doubt that T'Pol will be allowed to see anyone for a long time, however. Not with her being under arrest and charged with multiple offenses."_

_Jim blinked, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing, "Why is T'Pol under arrest?" he asked, sitting up again. "Last I heard, she was helping Lorian gain admission to the Vulcan Academic Institution."_

_Without saying a word, McCoy picked up a small disc, which was a copy of the information which was being held by Starfleet Intelligence, and he inserted it into the view screen closest to the biobed._

_Jim watched in shock as he watched the whole incident, which had been secretly recorded on Starfleet Security cameras, in which T'Pol and some Vulcan doctor had performed an illegal mind rape on Arianne Archer. He was equally surprised to see Arianne not only break free of the restraints, but also steal the doctor's phaser and shoot both him and T'Pol before fleeing in a panic. McCoy switched the screen off._

"_As far as I know, she then ran to that pointy-eared first officer of yours and convinced him to take her and her kids to New Vulcan for away time from Earth," McCoy explained. "Even though she ended up killing that Vulcan doctor, no charges are going to be brought against her, as it was ruled self-defense. If she's found guilty, I am not sure what would happen to Lorian. I also hear that Starfleet might be wanting to talk with you about your involvement with T'Pol, although I doubt charges will be filed against you."_

_Jim groaned and lay back down, "Now, because of my mistakes, T'Pol is going to be unfairly charged and Lorian is going to be shuttled off to foster care purgatory, as I highly doubt that Starfleet would see me as a useful guardian for the boy. I really have been screwing up badly, Bones. I seriously need some help."_

"_Just relax, Jim," McCoy ordered. "Before they go to a trial, Starfleet is assigning Phlox to put T'Pol through a full examination," he explained. "From what I've heard, she acts highly irrational and displays unusually high amounts of emotion for a Vulcan. Perhaps there's a medical reason for her actions."_

_Suddenly feeling tired, Jim took a deep breath. "Bones, I'm exhausted and I'm gonna pass out for a while," he said. "If anything major happens, wake me up."_

"_Get some rest, Jim," McCoy admonished, as he moved away from the bed. "I have to check on Tom and Chakotay for a few minutes and then I'll be back to give you a hypo if you need it."_

_Jim nodded, "Tell everyone that I'm sorry for acting stupid," he muttered, as he fell asleep._

_Shaking his head in shock at his friend's apology, McCoy left the room, leaving Jim to rest peacefully._

* * *

_Well aware that his followers were quickly becoming fatigued from the walk to the dwelling, Spock pushed the main entry door open and waited as Arianne led her three children inside._

"_Nyota, are you and B'Elanna here?" Spock asked, as he shut the door, protecting them from the outside._

_Within seconds, having heard Spock's call, Nyota Uhura, who was dressed in black dress pants and a red turtleneck sweater, came into the room, "I just settled Amanda and Miral with a morning meal," she said, noticing Arianne and her children standing in the doorway. "If you'd like, I can prepare more food."_

"_That would be excellent, Nyota, thank you," Spock replied, his tone gentle. "Come, Arianne, we will see to tending to the needs of yourself and your offspring."_

_Finally allowing herself to smile, Arianne nodded and, with gentle whispers, she led her three children into the nearby dining area. Quickly, Arianne got her children settled in chairs, then she took a seat. _

_Across from her, a small quarter-Klingon girl with blond hair smiled at her, "Auntie Arianne, where's Uncle Jon?" she asked, looking around to see if she could find him._

"_Oh, Miral, Uncle Jon had to stay and do some work on Earth," Arianne lied, not wanting to tell Miral that she had trust issues with Starfleet at the present time. "You can hang out with your cousins, though."_

"_Miral, we can have my mom take us swimming at Grayson Lake," Amanda, who was dark skinned, had black hair, and had Spock's ears, spoke up, trying to distract herself from her want for breakfast. "We can teach Charles, Kathryn, and Zachary how to swim, as our mothers taught us already."_

_From the food heater, Nyota, who could hear Amanda's enthusiasm about swimming at Grayson Lake, chuckled, "Sometimes, if he's in a need for relaxation, Spock will come with us and use the water for meditation while the children and I play," she explained to Arianne, who looked intrigued. "As he named the location in memory of his mother, he becomes extremely relaxed when he's there."_

"_Mommy has gone there a lot by herself since we came here," Miral said, smiling at Arianne. _

_Spock, who had been silently lingering in the doorway, nodded, "I have found my visits to Grayson Lake most refreshing when the need is there," he replied. "Perhaps when it becomes warmer outside, we can make a trip to Grayson Lake to show Mrs. Archer it's uniqueness. It will help her be at ease here."_

_Trying not to show how tired she was for the sake of the children, Arianne gave a nod, showing that she had heard and agreed to Spock's advice. Fortunately, before she had to comment, Nyota distracted them by serving up plates of breakfast food. Instead of horror, they could now focus on substance._

* * *

_With a groan, T'Pol opened her eyes and found that she was not in bed next to Jim, but on a bio bed._

"_Well, it's good to see you awake, T'Pol," Phlox said, as he turned and saw his former colleague awake. _

_T'Pol blinked, surprised to see Phlox, "Where am I?" she asked, suddenly noticing that she was attached to a strange machine that had a screen, which displayed what looked like the insides of an abdomen._

"_You're in a private area of Starfleet Medical," Phlox explained, as he studied the view screen. "You've had a dangerous increase in your hormonal levels over the past while and it's affected you to the point of severely impairing your judgment. I have already submitted my findings to Starfleet Intelligence and President Pike has agreed to drop all charges in light of the current circumstances."_

_T'Pol gave Phlox a confused look, "I assume you are referring to the fact that I kidnapped Arianne Archer while under the influence of this hormonal increase," she replied. "What was the cause of the increase?"_

_Phlox smiled, "Let me be the first to congratulate you and Captain Kirk on successful Human-Vulcan conception," he said, gesturing to the screen. "You are nearly a month pregnant with his child."_

_With wide eyes, T'Pol stared at the screen, speechless for the very first time in her life._


	22. Plans Taking Shape

"Spock was right, it is peaceful here," Arianne quietly muttered, as she stood barefoot in the water of Grayson Lake and allowed the sun of New Vulcan to warm her body. "This is such a healing environment."

It had been several days since Arianne and the children had arrived on New Vulcan. Because of the lack of warmth and his work stabilizing levels of commerce for the main city, Spock had been unable to take everyone to the lake. Now, however, there was time and it was not being taken for granted.

While the children played in the less shallow parts of the lake, Spock and Nyota had remained on the land, to relax on a human blanket and allow themselves some quiet time together. To keep her mind off of Tom, as she had been told by Arianne about Tom being in a coma, B'Elanna had elected to join the children.

Arianne, on the other hand, had quietly walked the shore, thinking of what would happen in the future, and, after releasing a tired sigh, she had discarded her sandals and stepped into the water. Unaware that Spock and Uhura were silently watching her, Arianne closed her eyes and allowed herself to relax.

A realization suddenly came over Arianne, she must be the first to take a step in setting things right.

Opening her eyes, she stepped out of the water and, stepping back into her shoes, she walked up the beach to where Nyota and Spock sat. Noticing Arianne's determined look, Spock raised an eyebrow.

"I can sense by the look on your face that something important is on your mind, Arianne," Spock said, as he put an arm around Nyota. "What can Nyota and I do to assist in achieving your goal?"

Arianne took a deep breath, "I need to speak with the Vulcan High Command as soon as it can be arranged," she explained. "Starfleet is going to need their help if they want to survive."

* * *

Back in the Federation's Oval Office, a dumbfounded President Pike gazed up at the two people who stood before him, both obviously had been recovering from some serious illnesses, as they looked exhausted.

Hiding any traces of emotion, Jim, who had broken his vow of rest the moment he was told that T'Pol was pregnant, and T'Pol locked hands and gazed at each other before gazing back at President Pike.

"We have discussed this situation and I insist that you marry T'Pol and myself right here, right now," Jim insisted. "I'm in my right mind again and I want to be T'Pol's husband and a responsible father."

Over near the door, Doctor McCoy sighed. He had been powerless to stop Kirk from stealing T'Pol from Sickbay and running to President Pike's office. The least he could do was follow to make sure that these two beings, who were still recovering from the hormonal virus, remained safe and medically stable.

"Jim's out of his mind sir, but he insisted on coming here," McCoy commented, crossing his arms. "There wasn't much I could do but retrieve Lorian from his studies in the Library and follow them here. If you agree to do this, I am willing to witness it. I am also sure that Lorian can be a witness."

President Pike's gazed flickered to Lorian, who stood in silence next to McCoy. Not much for words, Lorian nodded his approval. Pike then looked back to the anxious couple and sighed.

"If you're all right with a quick ceremony, I will perform it," President Pike replied. "In a matter of minutes, Admiral Archer will arrive to discuss our strategy for rescuing Captain Janeway and Seven from Duras and these Xindi…Without further ado, James Tiberius Kirk, do you hereby take T'Pol as your wife and promise to honor, love, and cherish her as your beloved companion in all respects and situations?"

Jim nodded, squeezing T'Pol's hand, "I do," he said, grinning at T'Pol.

"T'Pol, do you take James Tiberus Kirk as your husband and and promise to honor, love, and cherish her as your beloved companion in all respects and situations?" President Pike asked, gazing at T'Pol.

Forcing herself not to show emotion, T'Pol gave a nod, "I am fully accepting Jim Kirk as my companion in all respects and I trust that we will build a strong relationship and family in full unity," she replied, trying to keep her emotions in control in front of President Pike.

"Excellent, then by the power granted to me by the Presidential Regulations of the United Federation of Planets, I declare you husband and wife," President Pike said, as he opened a drawer and pulling out a set of wedding bands, he offered them to the newlywed couple. "Here are tokens of your binding."

Smiling, Jim and T'Pol put the rings on each others fingers and took a few seconds to share a tender lip lock, "We wish to now help in the retrieval of Captain Janeway and Seven," Jim said as they pulled apart and gazed at Pike. "Might we remain for the meeting?"

Exchanging a look with Doctor McCoy, who nodded, saying that he and Lorian would remain to keep an eye on the behaviors of these two, President Pike gave a slight nod, "Your opinions and presence would be valued at this meeting, Jim," he said. "We can use all the help we can get in this mission."

* * *

"Okay, I'm not pulling the NCC-1701 out of space dock for this rescue mission," President Pike snapped at Jim, who had requested the use of his first ship to attempt the rescue. "The NX-01 will be satisfactory for this attempt. Besides, last time you used the NCC-1701, Jim, it came back nearly in pieces."

Jim scoffed, "Well, I am not using Archer's ship again," he protested. "That thing is so small that there's hardly room to breathe, let alone command. I want my OWN ship for this rescue."

"Ugh, why are you so possessive of that ship?" Jonathan said, relieved that despite his illness, Jim was slowly returning to normal. "The NCC-1701 has been undergoing a massive refit for the last few years, I assumed by now you'd be adjusted to the NX-01 by now."

Deciding to choose his words carefully, Jim took a deep breath, "Sir, the NCC-1701 means as much to me as the NX-01 meant to your father, Henry Archer, when he designed it. From what I read in Starfleet History, he never got to see his ship fly, whereas you did. Please, allow me to see my ship fly again."

Hearing mention of his late father, which hit a nerve, Jonathan glared at Jim, "I am aware of your desire to captain your own ship for this mission, Kirk," he replied, his tone sharp. "Although there is considerable risk in two ships participating, it might also be to our advantage to work together in this attempt."

"Scotty has preserved DNA samples of both Captain Janeway and Seven from when they were captured," Jim explained. "We can use that to determine and set a course to Duras's current location in space."

President Pike nodded, "All right, I'll order Starfleet Maintenance and Engineering to speed up the refit of the NCC-1701," he said. "Admiral Archer will be in command of the NX-01 and will lead the mission, with Kirk commanding the NCC-1701 and providing assistance where needed. It will take some time to prepare the necessary supplies and recruit crews for each ship. You have two weeks to get fully prepared."

Jonathan and Jim exchanged a look, "Sir, with all due respect, that may be too long of a wait," Jonathan protested. "If we wait too long, we may not reach Captain Janeway or Seven while they're still alive."

Before Pike, who was taken aback by Jonathan's sudden outburst, could reply, an aide rushed into the room and running over to the desk, she whispered in Pike's ear. Pike frowned and turned to his view screen.

"President Pike, this is Sarek, leader of New Vulcan," Sarek spoke, as his aged face appeared on the view screen. "I understand from talking with Lieutenant Commander Archer that Earth is in need of assistance."

At the mention of his wife, Jonathan rose from his seat and moved to the view screen, "Sarek, is my wife all right?" he asked, concerned that Arianne had not even told him that she had gone to New Vulcan following her mind rape by that Vulcan doctor he had been told about. "Please tell her I miss her greatly."

Sarek raised an eyebrow, "Admiral Archer, you are free to tell her that yourself," he said, moving aside to allow Arianne room at the view screen.

"Are you all right, Imzadi?" Jonathan asked, not caring if the others in the office saw his emotional side. "I was told about what happened to you. Ever since you went to New Vulcan, I've missed you and the kids a lot. I've been wondering when you'll all come home and I hope it will be very soon."

Arianne smiled, "I'm doing a lot better, Jonathan," she admitted. "The kids miss you a lot and we'll be home in a few days. Now, I can't talk long, as Sarek is going to talk with President Pike about how the citizens and government of New Vulcan can help rescue Captain Janeway and Seven."

Jonathan smiled and kissed the screen before moving away so that President Pike could move his hover chair closer to the desk. Arianne smiled, kissed the screen, and moved out of view.

"Now, President Pike, we will now discuss your rescue strategy and how New Vulcan can ensure its success," Sarek said, as Pike moved his chair to the comm screen. "Now, tell me of your plans so far."

As President Pike and Sarek began to discuss the rescue plan, Jonathan and T'Pol exchanged a look. She was clearly sorry for the harm she had caused, Jonathan knew, and she sought forgiveness for it all.

Jonathan nodded, as if he were telling T'Pol that he forgave her and wished her luck in her new marriage to Jim. Relieved to have that burden off her shoulder, T'Pol turned her attention back to President Pike.

* * *

"Duras, the neural-extraction process is complete," the Xindi-Reptilian who had been monitoring the lengthy process, said from the information console. "All of the Borg's physical and neural information has been copied to our database and all Borg technology has been extracted from her body."

Fighting the urge to cry over the fact that her friend and colleague had been violated in such a fashion just for the sake of technological advancements, Captain Janeway sighed and turned away from the console at which she had been forced to work at extracting the information. The sigh was one of exhaustion and woe.

"Ah, my Lady Janeway is tired," Duras said, as he sat upon his throne-like chair. "Come, keep your dignity and life and come to my side for comfort. The hard part of your captivity is over."

Wanting to preserve her life for the sake of her crew, whom she hoped were doing well, Captain Janeway tiredly dragged her feet over to beside Duras. To her disgust, Duras began to stroke her hair and shoulders.

"We will meet up with the J'Amani in a matter of days," Duras explained, as he continued to caress her skin. "Then, the female crew will prepare you and their Commander will join us matrimonially."

Disgusted by the thought of being forced into a marriage with this bloodthirsty Klingon, Janeway shuddered. Fortunately, Duras took it as her being cold and pulled her close to his chest to warm her.

"Don't fret, Lady Janeway," Duras cooed gruffly. "You will never be cold or alone again when we are joined in wedlock. For I will warm you and you will bear many hybrid warriors to rule space."

Not wanting to anger this alien who was stronger than her physically, Janeway said nothing and remained still, so not to make Duras think she was being hostile. If he thought that, she could surely be killed.

"Once we rendezvous with the other Klingons, the Borg will be killed and ejected into space, as without all of her technology, she is a waste," Duras stated. "The technology we have acquired will then be shared with all Klingons and surviving Xindi in all the Alpha Quadrant and in the Delphic Expanse."

Trying not to vomit, as it would anger Duras, Janeway could only allow herself to be held to Duras's chest as he laughed manically about his plans. She stole a look at the unconscious Seven and her heart broke.


	23. Rapidly Approaching

"I promise that no harm will come to you or Miral while you are visiting Earth, Lieutenant Torres," President Pike said, as he moved his chair to where Spock's shuttle had landed and immediately saw that B'Elanna and her daughter, who disembarked first, were part Klingon. "On behalf of the United Federation of Planets, I, President Christopher Pike, would like to welcome you and your daughter to Earth."

B'Elanna, who had dressed herself and Miral in Vulcan clothing, as it would cover most of their physiology, except the forehead ridges, which were covered by headbands that Spock, in concern for their safety, had fashioned during the journey from New Vulcan, nodded, "Thank you, President Pike," she replied, holding Miral close. "I'm sorry if I seem anxious, I just want to see Tom."

Knowing that it must be killing her not to know if Tom was all right, President Pike nodded, "As soon as I can arrange for a proper security escort, you can go to Starfleet Medical to see him," he promised. "For the moment, however, I need to talk with Lieutenant Commander Archer about a serious matter."

When Arianne, who had just brought her children off the shuttle, heard President Pike's request to speak with her, she gasped, "B'Elanna, can you keep an eye on my kids, please?" she asked, assuming that she was about to be court-martialled for killing a Vulcan doctor and stunning T'Pol. "Please let Jonathan know where I've gone if he comes looking for me. I shouldn't be gone very long."

B'Elanna nodded and despite being concerned by the worried look on Arianne's face, she nodded and turned her attention to tending the children. Arianne followed President Pike off, away from the shuttle.

How long would it be before she had no Starfleet rank to her name? Would she be put back to civilian?

* * *

There was silence in the room as President Pike sat behind his desk, not saying a word as he quickly wrote on a PADD that was on his desk. Arianne gulped, was Pike writing out her demotion orders?

"Lieutenant Commander Archer, I have been informed of your physically assaulting Captain Kirk, as well as your using a phaser to kill a Vulcan doctor," President Pike stated, as he placed the PADD on the desk and looked solemnly at Arianne. "After which, you ran off to New Vulcan with Spock to see refuge instead of reporting it and meeting with Intelligence for debriefing, as is standard Federation procedure."

Arianne nodded, knowing that she not only failed to follow protocol, but she also left Earth in a panic instead of remaining and immediately taking accountability for her actions.

"However, given the tense circumstances, I have concluded that your actions were justified," President Pike stated, secretly amused by the shocked look on Arianne's face. "I think that you acted accordingly and quickly and for that, I hereby have no choice but to promote you to the rank of full Commander. Now, normally, a bridge test would have to be taken, but I think your recent experience and your handling of it equals the conditions of a bridge test, so therefore, you have met all requirements. Congratulations."

Arianne smiled, but Pike quickly continued, "However, because of your experiences, I am ordering you to attend a medical and psychological examination to see how you were impacted by these incidents," he explained, sliding the PADD across the table, which had a rank pip on it. "Your husband has been given similar orders and while this will not impact your ranks, this must be done before the rescue mission."

"Understood, sir, I can attend to that right away," Arianne said, rising from her chair and taking the rank pip. "Thank you for the promotion and I will do my best to uphold the honor and responsibility that comes with it."

As she turned to walk away, Arianne found herself in Jonathan's arms, "Jonathan, I've missed you," she said, as they embraced. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to see you be promoted to Commander, Imzadi," Jonathan said, smiling. "I also heard that you got the same order to get a medical and psychological examination?"

Arianne grinned, "I just want to get it done with now," she said. "Do you think McCoy has time to examine us both now? I want to get this out of the way and prepare for the rescue mission."

Chuckling, Jonathan turned and together, he and Arianne walked towards the door.

"Oh, Arianne," President Pike called after them. "One more thing."

Whirling around, Arianne stood at attention, "Yes, sir?" she hastily replied.

"At ease," President Pike stated. "Don't make it a habit to beat the snot out of superior or fellow Starfleet officers even if they deserve it. Now, go see Doctor McCoy. I have work that needs to be done."

Nodding, Jonathan and Arianne locked hands and left the room, once again united and happy.

President Pike sighed as he gazed at the unchecked PADD's in his inbox, there was so much work to still be done and sometimes he wished that he could have a family to support him, as many others in Starfleet did.

* * *

Having discarded the headbands once they were in the safety of Starfleet Medical, B'Elanna held Miral close to Tom, who was still unconscious, although he was well on the road to a full recovery, "I'm never going to leave your side again, Tom," she whispered, as Miral touched her daddy's face. "Please come back to us, we need you in our lives. Miral needs a father. I need a husband…I love you, Tom."

Despite their presence, Tom remained unconscious. Fighting the urge to cry, B'Elanna gave Tom's lips a tender kiss then turned away, "Isn't there anything more you can do for him, Doctor McCoy?" she asked, gazing at McCoy, who was working at a nearby console. "Can't you wake him up?"

"I've done the surgery needed to save his life, I've stabilized him," McCoy replied, as he tried to not let exhaustion get the better of him. "I can't do anything more. It's up to Tom to wake up."

B'Elanna held Miral close to her and nodded. _Tom had better wake up soon_, she thought anxiously.

A few days ago, Chakotay had been released and was now staying with Samantha and Naomi Wildman, and Icheb, in a place near the Presidential offices to finish recovering. Tom had not progressed as far, though.

Before McCoy, who wanted to try and help her feel better, could think of something to say, Jonathan and Arianne walked into the patient bay.

Having been informed of the orders from President Pike, McCoy sighed and turned his attention to them, "All right, I'm exhausted, but when Pike orders something done, it gets done," he said. "I'll examine Jonathan in here and Arianne, Nurse Chapel will examine you in a private room."

At the mention of her name, Nurse Chapel came forward and gently took Arianne's arm. With a look of gentleness at Jonathan, Arianne allowed herself to be led off for an examination.

McCoy looked at Jonathan, "Go sit on that bed over there," he ordered, pointing to a nearby biobed. "I'll get some supplies and be with you in a minute. Close the curtain and strip to your skivvies, please."

Jonathan nodded and walking over to the biobed, he closed the curtains and proceeded to disrobe as McCoy had instructed. A few moments later, McCoy arrived, wearing a medical and wearing gloves.

"All right, let's begin this examination, shall we?" McCoy said, as Jonathan lay on the bed in silence.

* * *

"…..B'Elanna?" a weak voice moaned. "B'Elanna…where are you?"

Startled awake, B'Elanna lifted her face to see Tom staring at her, "Oh, Tom!" she quietly cried, elated to see her husband awake after such a long time in a coma. "You're awake."

Despite his exhaustion, Tom smiled and immediately saw Miral asleep on the floor at B'Elanna's feet, "Help me sit up, please?" Tom weakly asked. "I want to see you and Miral better."

Even though she knew Doctor McCoy would probably have a astronomic fit about it, B'Elanna nodded and finding the controls, she quickly raised the bed so that Tom was now able to be in a semi-upright position.

"Where am I?" Tom asked, trying to fight sleepiness. "Are we still in 2170?"

B'Elanna nodded, "Yes, we're still in 2170," she replied. "You're in a patient bay at Starfleet Medical."

"I love you," Tom whispered, as he began to fall asleep. "I'm so tired, B'Elanna. I'm sorry."

Unfortunately, before Tom could fall completely asleep, there was a loud crash from an exam room at the far end of the patient bay. A few seconds later, Nurse Chapel came running from the room in a panic.

"Doctor McCoy!" Nurse Chapel shouted. "Lieutenant Commander Archer has gone mad!"

Tom, who was now wide awake, and B'Elanna watched as Doctor McCoy, who had been finishing up his examination on Jonathan, bolted from the curtain and ran to the terrified Nurse Chapel.

"I had found her to be healthy and then I wanted to examine her abdomen and other reproductive organs because of her having babies while she was in the future and I wanted to see how they healed," Nurse Chapel cried, nearly shouting. "She got upset and began crying, repeating the name "Annika" to me."

Having heard the name "Annika," Jonathan, who knew why Arianne was suddenly upset, poked his head out of the curtain, "Doctor McCoy, I suggest you contact Spock and get him here NOW," he ordered. "I'll finish getting dressed and then I will go sit with my wife until Spock arrives."

Seeing the sharp expression on Jonathan's face, McCoy nodded and ran off to the nearest communication console to contact Spock. Nurse Chapel, who was too shaken to do anything, ran from the patient bay.

Intrigued as to what was going on, Tom and B'Elanna looked at each other wide-eyed, then at Miral.

Even though they knew WHY Arianne was acting that way, they didn't wish to interfere until things were more settled down. What had happened on Voyager would probably never be forgotten by anyone.

* * *

"I think that a mind meld initiated by Spock might help Doctor McCoy understand why you became so upset about being examined," Jonathan gently explained to Arianne, as he sat next to her on the biobed.

Struggling not to cry, Arianne reluctantly nodded, "It's been two years, Jonathan," she quietly replied. "I want to put this immense sadness and feeling of loss behind me. What happened wasn't our fault."

"That's right, it was a situation that was beyond our control," Jonathan agreed. "It was a tense situation and as hard as we tried for it not to happen, Nothing could be done."

Before Arianne could reply, Spock, who had been told of Arianne's meltdown, entered the room, having come from settling Nyota and Amanda, as well as the Archer children, into temporary housing. "Doctor McCoy summoned me to initiate a mind meld because of Commander Archer suffering an emotional crisis and although I do not make a habit of using mind melds for medical purposes, I shall do so only because the Commander is my friend, as is her esteemed husband," he stated, as he neared the bedside.

"Please, Spock, enlighten me as to what set her off like that," McCoy spoke, annoyed that Spock always had to describe everything in such detail. "Poor Nurse Chapel is probably halfway across the country by now."

Spock nodded and taking great care to be gentle, placed his hands on Arianne's face, "I am going to look into your thoughts and memories to try and help you with whatever difficulty you suffer from," he explained. "In turn, I will give you some of my mental strength and emotional stability,"

Arianne nodded and fully trusting Spock's intent to help, she closed her eyes.

Nearby, Jonathan and McCoy hovered over a screen that would display Arianne's memories and thoughts, as knowing what triggered the outburst would help her be able to deal with it in safer ways later on.

"_We've been here on Voyager for nearly a year, Jonathan," a tired Arianne spoke, as she held a small baby, who was wrapped in blankets, in her arms. "I thought our only miracle would be the twins, but today, we're experiencing yet another of life's little surprises."_

_Jonathan smiled, "I am enamoured by the fact that we have another little girl in our family," he replied, as he gently touched the baby's face. "What should we name her?"_

"_Annika Raven," Arianne spoke, smiling at their new baby. "After Seven of Nine and the ship that once belonged to her parents when she was a little girl. It seems perfectly appropriate."_

_Seven of Nine, who had been invited to witness the birth as part of development in her own quest to regain her humanity, blinked in surprise. "I am very touched by this compassionate gesture," she stated._

Remembering this memory, Jonathan allowed himself to smile. However, as McCoy, who was stunned that the Archers had a third child, watched, he noticed that Jonathan's smile did not reach his eyes.

_The scene suddenly changed from a serene, peaceful time of joy, to one of chaos. Months later, Voyager was under attack and there was chaos all throughout the ship. Spock blinked as he, invisible to anyone of the past, stood in a Sickbay, watching as the Archers and a balding doctor hovered over a neonatal chamber. There was rapid beeping and as Arianne cried, Jonathan could be seen fighting the urge to._

"_I'll try something else," the Doctor snapped, as he injected the baby with a hypospray. "It's looking very grim, though. However, I will do everything I can to save Annika from the virus."_

_Several moments passed in silence and suddenly, there was a flatline. Spock raised an eyebrow as the Doctor looked at the Archers and shook his head, "I'm sorry," he apologized. "Despite doing all I can, Annika wasn't as lucky as the others that contracted the virus. Her immune system couldn't fight it."_

_Realizing that their daughter was dead, Jonathan and Arianne embraced each other and sobbed._

Trying to fight the backlash of emotions from these memories, Spock released Arianne's face and stepped back. As he fought to regain control, McCoy, who was feeling nauseous, stared at the blank screen.

"Believe it or not, I understand your pain, Arianne," McCoy suddenly spoke, as he gazed at Arianne. "I was a newly qualified independent physician and my wife ended up becoming pregnant early in our marriage. It was stressful, as we already didn't get along, but we tried to hold things together for the sake of our child. The tension died a little when Joanna was born, as we focused on her more than dealing with each other. I thought, with Joanna in our lives, perhaps our marriage could be salvaged. Unfortunately, when Joanna was four, I was driving her to the park and we got sideswiped by a young punk who was driving carelessly. We were both rushed to the nearest hospital and I only had a broken arm, but Joanna was so severely injured that she was pronounced dead at the hospital. After we buried her, my wife and I split up and feeling so guilty over Joanna's death, I let her have everything. I drank a bit to get myself through physical rehab for my arm, but I quit that quickly, as it gave me headaches the morning after. Wanting to become useful again, I enlisted in Starfleet. Thanks to Starfleet, I have control of my future while I try not to dwell on the past. So, despite my gruff exterior, I definitely know what it's like to lose a child and it's hard to get over."

Taking a deep breath, McCoy gave Spock a _I-dare-you-to-say-something look and, not wanting to remain in a room with so many people after opening up about such a personal memory, he silently left the room._

_Not sure of what to say, Arianne leaned against Jonathan and simply allowed him to hold her._

_Seeing that the couple needed some time alone to heal, Spock quietly excused himself. _

_There was so much he needed to do to help prepare for the mission in which Captain Janeway and Seven would be rescued. Hopefully, the mission would be flawless, but that was very unlikely._

* * *

_Still reeling from pouring his emotions out all over the place, McCoy, who sought refuge from the world, entered the Sickbay which was on the NCC-1701. This place was home for him._

_To his shock, McCoy saw that there were lights on in an adjoining room. Confused as to who would be on the ship and why they were there, he walked over to the room which was normally used for medical storage._

"_Bones!" Jim, who was settling T'Pol on a portable bed, said, as he saw McCoy step into the storage room, said, surprised to see his friend. "I'm bringing T'Pol and Lorian with us on the mission."_

_McCoy glared at Jim, "Jim, are you out of your Iowan mind?!" he snapped. "This is a rescue mission and it's going to be dangerous! We can't be bringing whomever we like aboard this time!"_

"_Bones, T'Pol is pregnant with my child and we eloped to President Pike's office," Jim confessed, ignoring the aggravated look on McCoy's face. "I want to make sure that she'll be safe, as well as Lorian."_

_McCoy swore, not caring if Lorian was around to hear him, "Jim, I don't know how you managed to get away with this, but I guess I'll help you," he said. "How far along is she?"_

"_Phlox had an idea, but I think he's far off the mark," Jim said. "I was hoping you could scan her yourself."_

_Fighting the urge not to hit Jim, McCoy sighed and, pulling his medical tricorder from his pocket, he carefully scanned T'Pol's abdomen. "Well, she's about five months along, almost six. The baby is gonna be half-Vulcan and rather small, but from what my readings say, it's healthy."_

_T'Pol sighed, "Lorian refuses to take Jim's last name, as he wants to honor his father, Commander Tucker," she admitted. "However, this baby will be a Kirk, to honor Jim and how good he has been to us."_

_Jim smiled, "See, Bones?" he bragged. "I have it all worked out. Just don't tell the crew she's here. Because of the possible risk involved, she's technically grounded on bed rest, but I couldn't leave her behind."_

_Rolling his eyes at Jim's desire to always keep secrets, McCoy scoffed, "I am not going to break confidentiality, Jim," he said. "Where IS Lorian, by the way?"_

"_Oh, you know how geniuses are," Jim said, sharing a smile with T'Pol, who was gratified at Jim calling her son a genius. "He's making sure the Bridge systems are all running smoothly."_

"_I'll go check on how Lorian's doing," McCoy insisted, secretly eager to make sure the boy wasn't conducting any illegal experiments. "I have to prepare for the mission anyway."_

_With his mouth in a straight line, McCoy left the room. Jim and T'Pol smiled at each other._

_The mission would commence in a matter of days. All involved were hoping that it would be successful._


	24. Secret Promises

"Captain on the Bridge!" Sulu shouted, as Captain Kirk strode on to the bridge in full uniform and regarded all of his fellow officers who stood at attention in the wake of his presence.

Jim, who had secretly been smuggling President Pike on board, as he wanted to be a part of the rescue, raised his hand, "At ease, Bridge officers," he said. "Systems reports?"

"All systems have been checked and are functional, Captain," Spock said cooly, as he rose from the command chair. "I assume that President Pike is safely on board?"

Kirk sighed, of COURSE Spock would have heard that President Pike had insisted on coming, "Yeah, Spock, he's resting in his quarters for now," he said, as he sat in his chair. "He wanted to help us."

"Has Admiral Archer gotten everything prepared on the NX-01?" Spock said, as he moved around the bridge, occasionally looking over the shoulders of the other officers to ensure that they were doing their jobs properly. "I notice that our Bridge seems to be lacking a helmsman. Where is Sulu at?"

Kirk grimaced, as he didn't want to tell Spock that Tom and Hikaru had been arguing about who would fly which ship in the rescue mission for the last several days, but before he could reply, the Bridge doors opened and Hikaru stepped on the Bridge, "Reporting for duty, Captain," he said with a smile.

"I am assuming that Mr. Paris elected to pilot the NX-01?" Kirk asked, as Hikaru took his rightful place at the helm. "Last I heard, you and he were uncertain as to who would go where."

Sulu smiled, "Tom wanted to be wherever his wife was," he confessed. "As soon as he heard that B'Elanna was going to basically be running Engineering on the NX-01, he asked Admiral Archer for a position there. Since the Admiral knew of his piloting skills, he made Tom the helmsman."

"What about Chakotay, was he made first officer of the NX-01?" Nyota, who had placed Amanda under Lorian's supervision in their pre-assigned quarters, asked, as she stepped on to the bridge in her full uniform. "I'm sorry I'm late, Captain, but I was just making sure that Amanda was safely settled."

"Take the comm, Lieutenant Uhura," Kirk said, relieved to have his best comm officer on the mission. "No, Chakotay isn't up to being first officer, he'll be running Communications over there. From what Admiral Archer told me, his wife is going to be not only the first officer, but Chief Science Officer as well."

Uhura gave Spock a look of surprise, "Commander Archer is taking a dual command role on the NX-01?" she asked, extremely surprised. "Aren't there enough officers over there to avoid double-duty?"

"There was no one else that the Admiral trusted to hold that amount of responsibility should he be put out of action," Spock replied, as he studied the information readings on a console. "Ensign Kim is going to be helping Mr. Chekov with Ops on both ships and that requires a great deal of attention to detail. Mr. Scott is heading up Engineering and Transporter control here, so, logically, there is no one else to be a first officer. Besides, her rank of Commander gives her that right, if deemed necessary by superior officers."

Nyota scoffed, "Ever since Voyager came into the past, things have been getting considerably weirder each day," she commented. "Oh, did Spock let you know about the child care we have available on board?"

"Child care?!" Jim shouted, gazing over in Uhura's direction. "This is a starship, not a daycare!"

Spock, who had forgotten to tell Jim about the many children on board in revenge for him trying to keep T'Pol's presence a secret. "Many officers on both ships have brought their offspring. I hope you don't mind, Captain, as if we are meet with disaster, everyone would like some last precious moments with loved ones."

"Well, did somebody tell Doctor McCoy that he's going to be having to double as CMO and chief babysitter?" Jim said, shocked at this turn of events. "He's not gonna be happy about it."

"Lorian has been trained in child care, among other things he has accomplished in his extensive studies, as you might remember," Spock replied, having secretly reviewed the extensive files on the Captain's step-son several days ago. "I believe he can keep the children entertained. Because of the higher risk of the NX-01 being attacked, Commander and Admiral Archer have decided it best that their children are on our ship. B'Elanna and Tom Paris have decided the same for Miral. Ensign Wildman from Voyager is assigned to assist Doctor McCoy in Sickbay and I do believe that her daughter, Naomi, can assist Lorian in keeping the children's attention and sufficiently meeting their needs. It has all been arranged, Captain."

Kirk, who was seriously taken aback by all the planning Spock had done without his knowledge, opened his mouth to comment. However, before he had the chance to speak, there was beeping from the comm station.

"Admiral Archer is hailing us sir," Uhura spoke up. "He wants to know if we're ready to commence."

Kirk groaned, the Admiral could sometimes be annoying, "Onscreen," he ordered.

"Captain Kirk, the NX-01 is fully operational and ready to depart from space dock," Admiral Archer said, as behind him, Arianne rose from her first officer's chair and stood at attention, ready to order the ship out. "Mr. Paris has already sent the projected co-ordinates of Duras's ship to your Mr. Sulu. We won't go to warp until we've cleared the solar system, as doing so would create an unnecessary mass civilian panic."

Fighting the urge to roll his eyes, Jim nodded, "We'll follow your ship to the co-ordinates and then we'll dispatch some of those second-generation MACO's you lent us to combat whatever enemies we might encounter upon arrival," he replied. "Tell Phlox to make sure he's prepared for the mass patients he'll receive once we arrive. We can decide where to bring Captain Janeway and Seven after we have them."

"Agreed, for now, let's just focus on rescuing them," Jonathan said. "Let's get this mission underway."

The view screen went to black, "Right, sir," Jim muttered, slightly annoyed. "Let's get things underway."

* * *

"P'TAHK!" a Klingon female shouted. "DURAS, THE HUMAN FEMALE HAS SHORT HAIR!"

From her position on the small podium, Captain Janeway tried not to show any emotion or anger, as doing so would only result in physical torture by the female Klingons she was surrounded by.

While D'Raina, who seemed to be the wife of the Klingon commander who was going to perform the forcibly arranged ceremony, stormed off to argue with Duras about preparations, another female Klingon came forward and clasped a collar of metal spikes around Janeway's neck, a reminder of her captivity.

Ever since Duras's ship had rendezvoused with the other Klingon ship, which was hidden near the entrance of the Delphic Expanse, Duras had been busy with his own kind. Meanwhile, to keep Janeway from causing problems, the female Klingons, led by the Commander's wife, had focused all their attention on her.

Seven, unfortunately, was still unconscious and strapped to the bio-table and as soon as the ceremony was complete, Duras was going to order the Borg shot into space in a pod. The only reason that Captain Janeway had known about it was because Duras constantly bragged of it during their forced interactions.

"Relax, Lady Janeway," one of the female Klingons, who was placing various spiked accessories on Janeway's feet, ankles, and wrists, said, noticing that she was nervous. "Soon enough, you and Duras will be bound in matrimony and all your worries will fade away with time."

Before Janeway could think of a reply, which was expected, D'Raina came into the room looking aggravated, "Prepare the crowned veil," she ordered gruffly. "Duras's orders are to ignore her hair and get her ready as soon as we can. The ceremony is to take place in the morning and he doesn't care about what she looks like. Once the ceremony is complete, he's going to quickly consummate their binding."

Knowing that a reply of disgust would get her killed, Captain Janeway could only shudder as D'Raina and the other female Klingons descended on her, wanting her to look like a warrior's bride.

Out of the corner of her eye, Janeway saw space. She silently prayed that help would come very soon.

* * *

"Admiral Archer, what can I do for you at this late hour?" Doctor McCoy, who had been summoned to his communications console just as he was going to try and get a needed nap. "Did I forget to give any information or supplies to Phlox before we left Earth? I assume this is not just a social greeting."

On the screen, Jonathan, who looked tired, shook his head, "You're right, Leonard, it's not just a social call," he admitted. "I need to talk with you about Arianne, Charlie, Kathryn, and Zachary."

_Oh, crap, Archer called me by my first name, McCoy thought, something HAD to be up. Usually, the Admiral was all business and referred to people by their rank and last name, NEVER by their first._

"_First of all, nobody, not even Arianne, knows about what I am about to discuss with you," Jonathan said. "Second, this is NOT an order, if you don't agree to it, you won't be made to feel guilty about it."_

_McCoy was slightly horrified, "Okay, Admiral, I understand," he replied. "What's on your mind?"_

"_There's a chance that I might not return from this rescue mission," Jonathan spoke in a solemn tone. "If that happens, I'm asking you to step into my role and look after Arianne and the children."_

_Blinking in shock, McCoy quietly swore, "Jonathan Archer, are you out of your mind?!" he asked, trying to keep his voice low. "What makes you think you aren't going to come back from this mission?"_

"_Well, the fact that I am rather old for a human plus the fact that Duras is a bloodthirsty monster who wants me dead," Jonathan said, a chuckle in his voice. "Combine that with Xindi who remember that I was the one who thwarted their invasion of Earth and I pretty much have a bulls-eye painted on myself."_

_This time, McCoy, who was appalled that Admiral Archer was taking the circumstances so lightly, swore out loud, "Why did you want to ask me this, Jonathan?!" he asked, really fighting hard to keep himself from yelling. "I'm a CMO for heaven sakes, you're a healthy Admiral who's talking about his pending death!"_

"_Look, I am doing this to make sure that things are taken care of if I do, in fact, get killed on this mission," Jonathan stated. "I'm not saying I will, but I would rather know important things are taken care of if it does. I'd prefer that my family be taken care of financially and emotionally should I lose my life, McCoy."_

_Ugh, with those words, McCoy now felt trapped. What could he do? On one hand, he could agree to do this, but could end up trapped in a family life with a woman who was nothing more than a friend. On the other hand, he could refuse and anger an Admiral who was also his friend and had been very good to him._

"_All right, Jon, I'll marry Arianne and be a father to your kids should you not return from this mission," McCoy stated nervously. "However, should you die, I will leave it up to her whether or not it happens."_

"_Fair enough," Jonathan replied, a relieved smile on his face. "Thank you, Leonard."_

_As the screen went black, McCoy swore and buried his face in his arms. What had he done?_

_Unfortunately for McCoy, Jim, who had quietly slipped into Sickbay to sleep with T'Pol, had not only heard, but had recorded the entire conversation on a PADD. Jim didn't think Archer was going to die, but it was good to know that if he did, the Admiral had sense enough to plan things out._

_Letting out a sigh, Jim hid the PADD in a secret storage compartment near the bed and climbed into bed next to T'Pol. They would be arriving at the co-ordinates very soon and he desperately needed rest. _


	25. Matrimony Disrupted

"Morning is upon us, Lady Janeway!" D'Raina shouted. "Awake and arise for the wedding!"

Having been left to sleep in an upright position by restraints so that her attire wouldn't be ruined, Captain Janeway opened her eyes to find D'Raina and two other female Klingons standing in front of her.

Remaining silent, Janeway blinked as the restraints were loosened and she was lowered to the floor, "Now we will lead you to the ceremonial chamber where Duras and my husband, Navar, await to commence the ceremony," D'Raina spoke, as she took hold of Janeway's arm and lead her towards the door. "It will be a truly glorious union and then you will not need to worry about anything any longer."

Trying not to show her horror, Janeway could only allow herself to be led towards the chamber.

_Please, let someone come and rescue Seven and I soon, _Janeway thought, as they entered the ceremonial chamber. She was not surprised to find it decorated in candles and Klingon weaponry. Both dressed in red battle attire, Duras and Navar were standing at the far end of the room, anxiously waiting.

_Fortunately, before she could be led to her unwanted groom, Captain Janeway heard a shout and, in a panic, a Klingon sentry hurried into the room, "Navar, we've detected two ships off our port bow!" he cried, knowing full well he was disrupting the pending nuptials. "Sensors have determined that the ships are Federation. One is called the NCC-1701 and the other is the NX-01. Both are called Enterprise."_

_Realizing that Jonathan Archer had returned to his life, Duras swore, "BATTLE STATIONS!" he roared, striding towards the door. "Restrain my bride in the marriage throne, I will be back after I CRUSH those Enterprise ships and defeat Jonathan Archer… Navar, come claim some glory for yourself!"_

_As the two Klingon males ran from the room, D'Raina and the females quickly manoeuvred Captain Janeway into a throne-like chair that was normally used to by the groom to carry his bride to where they would consummate their union. After strapping her in, they fled after the males, eager for battle._

_Even though she was trapped, Janeway's thoughts remained on Seven, who was unconscious and if she ever woke up, she would forever be traumatized from her experience in the past. They would both be…forever._

* * *

"_You've all been assigned buddies in this away mission," Admiral Archer said, as the away team from both ships convened on the transporter pad of the NX-01. "If there comes a point where the away teams have to split up, stay with your buddy as much as possible. There's always safety in numbers."_

_Since Sulu was needed to operate the NCC-1701, he had stayed behind and, although he had been reluctant about leaving T'Pol and Lorian unguarded, Jim had elected to come and assist in retrieving Captain Janeway and Seven. To make sure that the Captain wasn't injured, Spock, despite Uhura's vehement protests, included himself on the away team. Chekov and Scotty had also remained on the ship._

_Despite his high rank, which meant he could do anything he wished, President Pike had elected to take a low-key role on this mission, mainly helping in Sickbay and wherever else helping hands were needed._

_Doctor McCoy, who had been assigned as the away team physician, gazed at the NX-01 away team, which consisted of Admiral Archer, Arianne, Tom, Chakotay, Ayala, Samantha Wildman, and Tuvok, who had been a silent supporter of the Archers during their time on Voyager. Harry Kim and B'Elanna had stayed to keep the ship running. Also, Phlox was going to be keeping an eye on everyone's vital signs. _

_At the insistence of Admiral Archer, Lorian and Naomi had moved all the children to the NCC-1701, as that was the more capable ship in the case of an emergency and if necessary, T'Pol and Phlox were there to help._

"_Mr. Scott, prepare to transport multiple people over to the enemy ship," Jonathan ordered, as everyone, who had been armed with appropriate weapons, took available spots on the pad. "Keep a lock on the entire group and if problems should occur, beam them back according to orders."_

"_Aye, Admiral Ahrcher," Scotty replied, working the controls. "Prepping fer transport…"_

_Within a matter of minutes, the entire away team had dematerialized off the transport pad. _

_Hoping that the teams would be okay, Scotty focused his attention on keeping track of all bio-signs._

* * *

"_Okay, Captain Janeway is in a chamber not far from our current position," Arianne explained, as she studied the scanner that rested in the palm of her hand. "Seven is in the lab, but we should split up and go rescue her first. From what my readings say, her signal is dangerously faint."_

_Tom, who was behind her, nodded, "I'll be able to get Seven with Admiral Archer's help, Arianne," he said, as he located the ship's lab on his scanner. "You, Samantha, and Tuvok rescue Captain Janeway. Captain Kirk, Commander Spock, Ayala, and Chakotay can provide cover and keep this area safe for our return."_

"_I agree with your strategy, Lieutenant Paris," Jonathan, who was pleased with Tom's initiative, replied, as he moved to join him. "Once you have achieved your goal, get back here and beam back to the NCC-1701. Since Seven's life signal appears faint, Doctor McCoy is going to come with us to the lab."_

_At this, McCoy looked shocked, "I'm a doctor, not a mechanical engineer," he snapped. "How human is this Seven of Nine? I've never treated a part-Borg before. I don't even know what a part-Borg is."_

"_Seven's been mostly human since we rescued her from the Collective, but she still has a few bits of Borg technology left in her," Tom explained. "Although, the Xindi might have removed it from her by now."_

_Jonathan sighed, "Let's discuss this later, time is of the essence now," he ordered. "We can get to all the technical details after Captain Janeway and Seven are safe. Lieutenant, Doctor, let's get moving."_

_In silence, Jonathan, Tom, and Doctor McCoy began walking down the hallway that, according to their scanners, led to the lab where Seven was being held. Trying not to show her immense fear, Arianne, who was studying her scanner, led Tuvok and Samantha off in the opposite direction._

_Fortunately for the searchers, they had just gone out of sight when a group of Klingons and Xindi, who had detected the away team's arrival, approached Kirk, Ayala, Spock, and Chakotay. It was only a millisecond before noise and firing of weapons flooded the corridor that was supposed to be the rendezvous point._

* * *

"_There she is!" Tom said, anxious to see Seven strapped to a metal table, unconscious and probably traumatized after probably having been through senseless torture. "Doctor McCoy, stabilize her right away, as I don't want her to die from shock when I loosen these bindings."_

_After meeting no guards, the away team led by Jonathan arrived in the lab. To keep the Klingons and Xindi out of their hair long enough to get off the ship with Seven, Jonathan was working to create a force field that would mask their bio signs on the ship, but would still permit them to be transported to the NCC-1701._

_Swearing under his breath, Doctor McCoy quickly extracted supplies from his med-kit and, preparing some hyposprays that would not only stabilize Seven's weakening systems, but keep her safely sedated until they got her to safety, he quickly injected them into her neck, "That should keep Seven stable and sedated until she can get treated in a proper Sickbay. I recommend you beam her back to the NCC-1701, Mr. Paris."_

"_I concur with Doctor McCoy, Tom," Jonathan spoke, as he activated a force field. "From what I know of you, you are a trained field medic and you know Seven better than any of us do. Go back to the ship, treat Seven, and we'll let you know if you're needed back here. Hurry up, she doesn't have a lot of time."_

_As he used his phaser to free Seven from the restraints, Tom nodded, "Lieutenant Paris to the NCC-1701," he said, tapping his commbadge. "Beam myself and Seven directly to Sickbay."_

"_Aye, laddie, I'm on it," Scotty's voice sounded out over Tom's combadge. "Prepping for transport."_

_Within seconds, Tom and the unconscious Seven had dematerialized. Jonathan breathed a sigh of relief._

"_Jonathan Archer…we meet again." a gravely voice said._

_Recognizing the voice, Jonathan turned and saw Duras, who looked aged and full of built-up rage, standing there, holding one hand in a fist and a bat'leth in the other. McCoy gave Duras a disgusted look._

"_Admiral Archer, who is this grubby sack of meat and drool?" Doctor McCoy, who was disgusted by the blood-thirsty emotions that Duras was clearly showing, asked, as he packed up his med-kit._

_Duras growled, "Your ignorance is surprising, Doctor," he snarled, taking note of McCoy's blue shirt. "You had best remember that in battle, that blue uniform will not save your life. It will only end it faster."_

_Without any warning, Duras raised his bat'leth, fully intending to slice Archer in half, but to McCoy's shock, Archer used his phaser rifle to block it and knock it back towards Duras. _

_However, Duras wasn't going to be defeated that easily, but McCoy, who had gotten a sense of the physical mismatch between the two, quickly set his own phaser to Stun, pointed it at Duras, and fired._

_As Duras fell to the floor unconscious, Jonathan looked at McCoy in shock, "Nice work, Doctor," he said, clapping the doctor on the shoulder. "Let's go see if we can help rescue Captain Janeway."_

_Since neither man wanted to be present when Duras awoke, Jonathan and McCoy hurriedly fled the room._

* * *

"_Tuvok, Arianne, Ensign Wildman," Captain Janeway, who was becoming more exhausted with each passing moment that she was strapped to that chair, which was designed to wear away self-determination and increase submissiveness. Gasped weakly, as the group entered the wedding chamber and moved quickly to where she was restrained. "Please, help me out of this infernal contraption."_

_While Tuvok worked to release Janeway from the chair, Ensign Wildman, who had been given a crash course in Federation medicine of the time by Doctor McCoy en route, scanned her with a medical tricorder, "The Captain's not injured, but she is suffering from shock, Tuvok," she reported. "I know we're not at the rendezvous point, but please allow me to take her back to the NCC-1701 to properly examine her."_

"_Get me out of here," Captain Janeway weakly pleaded, as she was pulled into a standing position and supported by both Tuvok and Ensign Wildman. "That's an order."_

"_Ensign Wildman to Mr. Scott," Samantha said, as she tapped her commbadge. "We have successfully retrieved Captain Janeway. Please beam us back to the ship right away."_

_Within moments, Ensign Wildman and Captain Janeway had dematerialized, leaving only two._

_Unfortunately, before Tuvok and Arianne could request a transport back to the ship, an alarm sounded and three Xindi soldiers, one Insectoid and two Reptilian, entered the room and seeing that Captain Janeway was gone, they quickly surrounded the two. The Reptilian grabbed Arianne by the collar._

"_Well, Lady Janeway is gone, but you'll do," the Xindi-Reptilian said, enamoured by her beauty._

_Panicking, Arianne broke loose and fired at her almost captor as she ran around the other side of the room. _

_However, the Xindi-Insectoid was too fast and before Arianne knew it, her world was slowly fading to black. Before she totally lost consciousness, she saw the Reptilian shoot Tuvok and immediately fell him._


	26. Escaping and Saying Goodbye

Even though her eyes had not yet opened, Arianne could feel the intense coldness of the ship.

Ignoring the headache that probably came as a result of being hit in the back of the head, she opened her eyes to find herself strapped to a metal surface and looking up at a metal ceiling. Gazing down at her body, Arianne realized that her uniform jacket was off and her shirt was torn just below the breast. Her pants, fortunately, were still in place.

"Commander Archer, it's good to see you awake, we need to talk," a Xindi-Insectoid said, as he came into Arianne's view. "Ever since our weapon was destroyed, the Xindi race has been dying out and I need your help to fix that."

_Oh, crap, this Xindi wants to make babies with me_, Arianne thought, _why does everyone want to do that?_

"Look, I'm a happily married woman and I don't have any desire to change that," Arianne snapped, an angry look on her face. "Even if I WAS single, I certainly wouldn't have intercourse with a Xindi!"

Hissing, the Xindi-Insectoid undid Arianne's pants buckle, "Why, my dear, you are strapped to that table with no chance of escape," he said. "You have no choice in the matter and I will help save the Xindi race. Duras is a bloodthirsty Klingon and they will always survive, but the Xindi race cannot survivor forever."

However, before the Xindi-Insectoid could get any further, there was a laser blast and without warning, the alien fell over dead. Behind him, Arianne saw Jonathan and Tuvok rush into the room. After Tuvok destroyed the bindings with his phaser, Jonathan gently pulled his wife into his arms and held her. In turn, she buried his face in her arms.

Not wanting to be on the ship any longer, Tuvok had quickly gotten himself beamed to the NCC-1701 to meditate.

"Archer to the NX-01, beam myself and my wife on board," Jonathan said, as he tapped his commbadge. "I know that most of the crew has been beaming over to Kirk's ship, but we need to get aboard anyway."

As the two Archers held each other, they dematerialized off the ship. They were safe once again.

Down the hall, Duras, who had regained consciousness only to find both the female Captain and the Borg gone, shakily got to his feet and hurried towards the ship's bridge. This was definitely not over.

* * *

"Mr. Paris, Seven has been completely purged of her Borg implants," the Doctor, who was re-activated and severely dependent on his mobile emitter, said. "Do you mind telling me how she's still alive?"

Almost immediately after Tom had returned to the ship with Seven, he had found the Doctor's mobile emitter in the Sickbay. Since Phlox was nowhere to be found, Tom had activated it, only to find that the Doctor was now working.

In turn, the Doctor had explained that B'Elanna had managed to fix it during her time on New Vulcan and sensing that there would be a need for it, she had brought it along on this rescue mission, as there was a medic shortage.

"That's a hard one to explain, Doctor," Tom confessed. "Is it possible to try and wake her now?"

"I can handle this, Mr. Paris," the Doctor replied. "Go see if you can find Captain Janeway, as she never did get examined by anyone when she was brought back. If you can't find her, go do something useful."

Not surprised by the Doctor's brisk tone, as he had always seemed to have a soft spot for Seven, Tom quietly left.

Sighing, the Doctor injected Seven with a hypospray. Within seconds, Seven had opened her eyes.

"Doctor, I feel strange," Seven spoke in a quiet tone. "What has happened to me? I do not feel Borg anymore."

The Doctor blinked, "The Xindi extracted all of your Borg implants," he stated, trying to hide any emotion from his voice. "You are now fully human. I will help you cope with this, but for now, just stay here and accept treatment."

Seven, who was overwhelmed with everything that had happened, nodded, "Fully human," she quietly muttered to herself, as she allowed the Doctor to continue running tests and treating her.

* * *

Meanwhile, Captain Janeway, who had no desire to be anywhere near Sickbay, silently wandered the corridors, trying to figure out herself. After the whole experience with Duras, she was shaken to the point of potentially losing sanity.

Everyone was safe, but even so, Captain Janeway knew that she felt far from safe.

Even though nothing sexual had actually transpired, nor was she forced into marriage, Janeway, as she moved into a quiet, dimly-lit room, knew that she was far from okay and didn't know if she ever would be.

"Is someone else in here?" a male voice suddenly spoke from the corner of the room.

Shaking, Janeway smacked the nearest light switch. As the lights came on, she saw a man in a hover-chair at a table.

Seeing whom he recognized to be Captain Janeway, President Pike, who had been quietly enjoying a large mug of tea, smiled and motioned to the empty seat across from him. Janeway nodded and moved to join him at the table.

"Well, am I right in assuming that you are Captain Kathryn Janeway of the starship Voyager?" President Pike said, as he took another sip of tea. "I'm Admiral Christopher Pike, second President of the Federation."

"Christopher Pike?" Captain Janeway repeated. "I remember reading something about a Christopher Pike when I was in the Academy. Weren't you held hostage and tortured by that mad Romulan before being rescued?"

President Pike chuckled, "Yeah, that's how I ended up in this hover-chair." he explained, feeling strangely at ease around this woman. "I usually hate talking about it, but I feel comfortable discussing with it with you."

Captain Janeway smiled, feeling strangely attracted to this man. She had a strong feeling that it was a mutual attraction.

Placing his half-empty cup on the table, President Pike moved away from the table, "I know I sound like an Academy cadet, but would you like to go for a ride?" he shyly asked. "Just a simple ride down the corridor."

Nodding, as she wanted to feel good again, Janeway rose from her chair and carefully climbed on to President Pike's lap. President Pike smiled and as Captain Janeway rested her head on his shoulder, he hovered out of the mess hall.

There was no explanation as to what transpired during the ride in the corridors, as there was no need to speak.

The last thing that Captain Janeway and President Pike remembered was disappearing into the President's quarters.

Every other memory or consciousness vanished in the wake of an explosion of passion-filled, mutual safety.

* * *

"This is the only way, Arianne," Jonathan said, sadness in his voice. "We knew it would end sometime."

After beaming on to the NX-01, Jonathan and Arianne had quickly determined that in fear that the enemy ship would retaliate against them, all of the crew had beamed over to the NCC-1701. They were completely alone.

The prediction of the enemy ship retaliating wasn't far off, however, as Duras, who had lost his commander friend during the heat of the battle, had taken control of the ship and every few minutes, they were firing on the NX-01, hoping that the ship would either be destroyed, or that Jonathan would surrender to Duras.

Fortunately, despite the steady attacks on the ship, Jonathan and Arianne had gotten to the Bridge. While Arianne worked on maintaining the ship shields, Jonathan had promptly disappeared into his ready room.

It had been several moments before Jonathan had emerged, carrying a small stack of PADDs and a small box.

There was a solemn look on his face as he approached her. Suddenly, Arianne knew what was going to happen.

"Jonathan, NO," Arianne cried, tears beginning to run down her face. "It doesn't have to end this way."

Jonathan smiled, "If I stay on board, I can eject and detonate the warp core, destroying both ships," he explained, handing the PADDs and the box to his wife. "I'll be dead too, but the NCC-1701 will be safe."

As they left the Bridge and moved through the corridors, another explosion rocked the ship, this time slamming Arianne and Jonathan into the wall. Both knew that they were injured, but it was more obvious in Arianne, as her arm looked broken and there was blood on her face. Jonathan helped her up and they continued travelling.

Slowly, but surely, the Enterprise NX-01 was falling apart and would soon meet the end of its existence.

"Be sure to let Sickbay take a look at those injuries," Jonathan gently chided, as they entered the Transporter Room, which was in ruins. "I'll beam you to the Bridge…"

Arianne nodded and knowing that their time together was coming to an end, she wrapped her arms around Jonathan, "I love you so much, Jonathan," she cried. "I will never forget you for as long as I live."

Tears welling in his eyes, Jonathan held his wife for a moment, "Please take care of yourself and the kids, let them all know that their father loves them very much," he instructed, as he gently led his wife on to the transporter pad. "Don't stop living because I'm dead. You gave me a reason to keep going after the Trip's death, as I was seriously considering resigning my command, but you convinced me to live on, and I wanted you there with me, to motivate me every day. I am going to miss you, Imzadi. Please let our children know all about their father."

Arianne nodded, "Farewell, Imzadi," she sadly said.

Jonathan worked the transporter controls and after he pressed the energize button, he turned away.

Knowing that his legacy would live on forever despite his death, Jonathan headed off towards Engineering.

This was the only way to ensure that others could live on. It was up to him to defeat Duras and the Xindi alone.

* * *

"Woah, Commander Archer, what HAPPENED?!" Captain Kirk shouted, as he saw the bruised and bleeding Arianne materialize on the Bridge, looking as if her entire world was going to fall apart. "Spock, call medical down here!"

Ignoring Kirk's rants, Arianne looked to Sulu, "Sulu, get us a safe distance from the other ships then full stop and switch on the view screen to frontal view," she ordered, as she tried not to cry. "Do it, or I'll do it for you."

Sensing that it would not be wise to refuse her request, Sulu quickly moved the ship and, halting the ship, he switched on the requested view. Kirk was appalled when he saw the NX-01 jettison and send blasts at its warp core.

As the phaser blasts hit the warp core, Kirk came up beside Arianne, "Where's Admiral Archer?" he asked, realizing that someone had to be controlling the NX-01 manually. "Who's controlling the NX-01?"

Unable to watch the explosion, which had just occurred, any longer, Arianne turned away and moved to the exit door, nearly running into Doctor McCoy, who had been alerted to the need for a doctor on the Bridge. At the sight of Arianne, McCoy swore, but he was unable to stop her from leaving the bridge, her hands full of PADD's.

"Jim, what's going on?" McCoy asked, as he approached the command chair. "What happened to Commander Archer?" he asked, gazing out at the explosion. "WHAT HAPPENED OUT THERE?!"

Realizing that Admiral Archer had sacrificed his own life to save everyone else, Nyota buried her face into her console, which was noticed by Spock, who immediately took his mourning wife into his strong Vulcan arms.

"Bones, today is the end of an era," Jim spoke, trying to absorb what had just happened. "Admiral Archer just defeated Duras and the last of the violent Xindi in this Quadrant. We have lost a great man on this day."

Swallowing hard, McCoy quickly put the pieces together. _No wonder Arianne was so upset_, he thought.

"Spock, what's wrong?" Nyota shouted, suddenly noticing that Spock was losing consciousness. "Spock!"

Kirk turned his head just in time to see Spock, who had suddenly lost consciousness, hit the floor. Nyota screamed and Doctor McCoy swore, as he rushed over to the fallen Vulcan. What was going on?

"Chekov, tell Scotty to get whatever remains of the NX-01 he can and then take us out at half-impulse," Jim ordered, as McCoy and Nyota carried Spock from the bridge. "Turn that stupid view screen off, Sulu."

Knowing that the Captain was agitated, Sulu shut the view screen off. As the remaining Bridge crew worked to keep themselves from emotionally crumbling, all was eerily silent.

Unknown to anyone, three of the Klingons had escaped in a shuttle with the Xindi technology, to someday get revenge.

Duras was dead, as was the Xindi race, but that didn't mean that all their work would go to waste.


	27. Crumbling to Dust

"I-I can't believe it," Jim stammered, as he stared at the solemn-looking Phlox. "How did this happen?"

Phlox sighed, "Premature delivery is a common practice that is easy to address, but with Human-Vulcan births, complications can sometimes occur," he explained. "It was dangerous enough dealing with Lorian's birth, but T'Pol is now older and as age increases, changes in physiology, including pregnancy, can take it's toll. I know it's been a few days since the baby was born, but I wanted to give you time to cope with everything else. I also wanted to do whatever I could to save her. Eventually, however, it proved futile to do anything more for T'Pol."

"I want to bury T'Pol on Earth," Jim stated tonelessly. "I just don't want to have to bury our new son too."

Phlox smiled, "Fortunately, it won't come to that," he explained. "Your son is stable and will remain that way."

"Can I see him?" Jim asked, relieved that he didn't lose everything that was precious to him. "I want to name him. As much as I want to see T'Pol, I don't want to disturb Lorian saying goodbye to his mother."

Phlox nodded and in silence, he led the broken Captain through the chaotic, noise-filled Sickbay.

However, before they could reach the bassinette where Phlox had placed the baby for monitoring, Nyota, who had left Spock in the care of Doctor McCoy, came out and seeing Kirk, she slapped his face hard, her look full of hatred.

"Well, thanks to you, Kirk, Spock's in a COMA!" Nyota shouted, not caring who heard her. "Apparently, he got poisoned during that whole rescue mission on Duras's ship when the Xindi attacked the away team! I thought you cared enough about Spock to protect him, CAPTAIN! Now he's in a coma and McCoy doesn't know if he'll ever wake up and if he does, he could never be the same! We have a daughter to think of! I HATE YOU, JIM!"

Slapping Kirk once more, Nyota ran back to the isolation chamber where McCoy was treating Spock.

Trying not to show any emotion, Jim continued to follow Phlox. A few moments later, they reached the curtained off area where Phlox had his supplies. Jim smiled as he saw his half-Vulcan newborn son laying in the bassinette.

"George Lorian Kirk, that's what I've decided on," Jim said, as he gently picked his newborn son up and placed him to his shoulder. "Even though I adopted Lorian right after T'Pol and I married, he didn't want to take the last name of Kirk, he wanted to keep his biological father's name, which I understand. This one will have my name, though."

Phlox nodded, "I have to go do an autopsy on T'Pol," he said. "Let me know if you or George need anything."

As Phlox left the area, Jim kissed his half-Vulcan son's forehead and let out a loud sob.

* * *

"Christopher, I can't believe it," Janeway said, as she sat on President Pike's lap with her arm around him. "I thought that we were both incapable of conceiving a child."

President Pike smiled, "This may cause a problem when it's time for you to return to the future, but I promise you, Kathryn, we'll figure this out together," he promised, as he gently caressed Captain Janeway's cheek. "This is the first time since childhood that I don't feel alone. I love you, as you accept me for who I am and don't judge me for it."

"We'll get through this together, Christopher, I really want this baby," Captain Janeway said, as she snuggled into President Pike's shoulder. "I also have to make a point to talk with Arianne about her loss."

President Pike nodded, "Jonathan Archer will forever be remembered as the man who finally defeated the Xindi," he said, smiling. "As President, I have to do my part in preserving his memory, but we can do that together."

Captain Janeway nodded and there was silence as the two lovers became lost in each others tender kisses.

* * *

"Look, kids, your dad had to die in order for the rest of us to be safe," Arianne explained, as she sat before her three children in their quarters. "Without him doing what he did, we would have all died."

Despite the fact that she still needed to go to Sickbay, Arianne had taken time to cry and then, after retrieving her children from Lorian and Naomi, she had retreated to her quarters to tell her children of Jonathan's death.

"Mommy, I'm really going to miss Daddy," Kathryn said, as she put her head on Arianne's lap and cried. "I'm sad that he had to die, but even though I'm little, I understand it."

Charlie, on the other hand, was angry that their mother had allowed their dad to die, "It's your fault that Daddy died!" he shouted, as he ran towards the door. "You're a horrible Mommy who loves to see people die!"

As Charlie ran from the room, Arianne, who was hurt by her son's remarks, released Kathryn from her lap and cried as she buried her face in the couch. Zachary and Kathryn held each other and cried for the loss of their father.

While she cried, Arianne knew that Scotty would soon send Voyager back to their time, but, as much as she wanted to say goodbye to her new friends, she couldn't bring herself to leave her quarters. Charlie would be fine, as he was most likely running to Sickbay for consolation, but she just wanted to isolate herself for a little while longer.

* * *

"All systems are a go," Captain Janeway, who was dressed in her full Starfleet uniform, said, as she strode on to Voyager's Bridge. "Mr. Kim, let Mr. Scott know that we're ready to commence the journey home."

Within a week, the NCC-1701 had rendezvoused with the landed Voyager and wanting to get home before any more of history was disrupted, everyone set to work preparing to send Voyager back to their rightful time.

Nodding, Harry quickly sent a message to Scotty, who was on the NCC-1701. "He says that once we go to warp, the transporters should kick in and send us back to the Alpha Quadrant, to our proper place in time."

As if she had no emotion or memory of Christopher Pike, only the information that Voyager was in the past for a while, Captain Janeway nodded briskly, "Mr. Paris, set a course for home," she ordered, as she sat in her chair.

Tom nodded and quickly engaging the warp drive, he moved the ship forward at warp speed. All was silent.

There was a solemn silence as the Bridge crew of the NCC-1701 watched Voyager warp back to their proper time.

* * *

"McCoy, I knew it wouldn't take long for Admiral Archer's death to become galaxy-wide news," President Pike said, as he appeared on the comm screen which was in Doctor McCoy's office. "Already, even though we're still a fair distance from Earth, ceremonies are being planned to honor the Admiral's sacrifice."

Sighing, Doctor McCoy, who was exhausted from dealing with patients, rubbed his eyes wearily, "I'm telling you right now that I don't want any part of that fanfare crap, Pike, I mean it," he replied, his irritation apparent in the gruffness of his Southern drawl. "I'm exhausted and the last thing I want to do when we get home is deal with the media."

"I also have some bad news concerning Admiral Archer's family," President Pike continued, ignoring the fact that Doctor McCoy was grouchy. "I just got done communicating with Child Welfare Services in San Francisco and, because of Commander Archer's current circumstances, her kids will be placed within state custody."

At hearing that Arianne's kids would go into foster care, despite just losing their dad, McCoy swore, "Can't those welfare workers give the Archers a break?!" he snapped, angry with the system. "It hasn't been that long since Jonathan died and now they want to take those kids away from Arianne?!"

President Pike nodded, his face grim, "It's an unfortunate situation, Doctor, but there's not much anyone can do to change their mind." he said. "To them, Arianne is an unemployed, emotionally unstable single woman and to a group like Child Welfare, that spells potential growth problems for her kids. They see fit to take action."

Groaning, McCoy took a PADD, which Jonathan had written for his eyes only before he died, and studied it, "President Pike, I thought you should know that Admiral Archer and I had a late night discussion not long before he died," he confessed. "Jonathan asked me to look after his family should he die. I've got it in writing from him too."

"Okay, have you discussed this with Commander Archer yet?" President Pike asked. "If not, you need to. If you can end up married to her before Enterprise reaches Earth, I think I can convince Child Services to back off."

Before McCoy could reply, Nurse Chapel walked into his office, "Sir, Commander Archer has finally decided to come to Sickbay for treatment," she said, looking nervous. "You had better come deal with her."

"Look, let me know about her decision and I'll forward it to Earth from my quarters," President Pike said, hearing the insistence in Nurse Chapel's voice. "I'll talk to you a little later. I'm currently very busy. Pike out."

As the view screen went black, McCoy stood and followed Nurse Chapel out of his office.

"Don't worry, doc, it's not as bad as it looks," Arianne said, as McCoy's jaw dropped in shock at her bruised, bloody, and dishevelled appearance. "Probably just a few broken bones, some scratches, and maybe a concussion. Captain Kirk said he'd keep an eye on the kids for a while on the Bridge while I was here."

"Nurse Chapel, get me some hypos, some treatment medications, and a few dermal regenerators," Doctor McCoy ordered. "Take your time, I want to talk with Commander Archer before I deal with these injuries."

Nurse Chapel, who was terrified about Arianne's roughed up appearance, fled into the innards of Sickbay.

Sighing, Doctor McCoy sat on a stool across from the biobed, "Arianne, we need to talk about something serious," he explained. "I just finished talking with President Pike about after Enterprise gets back to Earth. He says that although Jonathan is a hero, you are now viewed as a single, unemployed woman, and unfit to be a mother by Child and Welfare Services in San Francisco because of your current emotional instability. They want to put your kids in state care."

"Of COURSE my emotions are unstable, my husband DID just die, you know," Arianne snapped, aggravated that social services DARED to make such a threat. "I honestly don't know what to do about things now."

McCoy nodded, "Look, there's a way to keep your kids, but you have all the rights in the world not to do this," he said, deciding that moment was the best to bring up Jonathan's last request. "Before he died, Jonathan came to me and asked me if I would look after you and the kids should he not survive the mission. I said I'd leave that up to you. Although. President Pike did say that he could get Social Services to back off if we DID get married before reaching Earth."

"Well, at least Jonathan was thinking ahead, which I have known him to do ever since I met him," Arianne replied, shocked that Jonathan would go to Doctor McCoy of all people and make such a request. "I know this is awkward for you, but I'll make things easy for you. In light of the circumstances, I will agree to become your wife."

Fortunately, before Doctor McCoy, who was both relieved that he had been able to solve this issue and scared out of his mind about becoming a surrogate father, had to reply, Nurse Chapel returned with the supplies., "Here's all the supplies you requested, Doctor," she said, preparing a tray. "I would be happy to assist."

"All right, hold still and we'll get you patched up, Commander Archer," McCoy said, as he studied Arianne's arm, which was at a funny angle. "We'll start with your arm. Just hold still and try to relax."

_After what Doctor McCoy and I discussed, I am ANYTHING but relaxed, _Arianne silently thought, as she fought the pain that came as a result of allowing Doctor McCoy and Nurse Chapel to treat her injuries.

However, Arianne was doing this for the sake of her children. She didn't love him, or did she?

* * *

"Jim, I'm glad you could make it on such short notice," Doctor McCoy, who had taken time to change from his grubby medical uniform into a full dress uniform, said, as Captain Kirk walked into the mess hall. "I know that, in light of T'Pol's passing, you've had your hands full balancing commanding the ship and tending to your son."

"I can handle command and Lorian has been good about helping with his little brother and Phlox has him right now, as he wants to see how his development is coming," Jim replied, suddenly seeing that Pike was sitting behind a table and that Arianne and McCoy, who were both wearing dress uniforms, were standing before the table with their hands locked. "What's going on in here, Bones? It looks like a wedding of sorts."

"Jim, I have no easy way to say this, but it IS a wedding," McCoy confessed. "I know that Admiral Archer just passed away not too long ago, but I am marrying Commander Archer and we need you as a witness."

Jim coughed as the lights went up, revealing Scotty and Chekov sitting in seats, along with Lorian, who had managed to keep the children quiet and focused on their mother, "Bones, you're actually serious about this?!" he asked, as he walked to the front of the room. "I must say, considering that I heard most of the conversation between you and Admiral Archer, I am not surprised that you and her agreed to do this. You are both very noble and I would be more than happy to be a witness at the ceremony. Oh, Bones, after you're married, I need to talk to you in private."

Smiling, Jim quietly took a seat in the back of the room. The couple, full of anxiety, turned to President Pike.

With a deep breath, and a calculated look at both the bride and groom, President Pike commenced the ceremony.

* * *

"Jim, sorry it took me this long to get back to you," McCoy, who was still dressed in his dress uniform, said as he entered Captain Kirk's office. "It's been a stressful few days, but we'll be entering Earth's space dock soon, so I wanted to make some time to talk with you. What's on your mind?"

Unsmiling, Jim remained silent and slid a PADD across the desk to his friend and colleague. Confused as to what the PADD was about, McCoy picked it up and studied it in silence.

"Jim, what does this mean that you're being transferred to the Montana Flight School?" McCoy asked, sliding the PADD back across the desk. "How are you going to do that and command the Enterprise?"

Jim sighed, "Bones, I'm giving up the Enterprise and taking command of the flight school," he revealed, fully expecting his friend to scream at him in protest. "I've already talked to President Pike and, once we reach Earth and deal with the media firestorm, I'm taking Lorain and George with me and reporting to my new post."

"Jim, are you out of your Iowan mind?!" McCoy screeched. "What's going to happen to the rest of the crew?!"

"Well, as you know Sarek came aboard two days ago and took Spock back to New Vulcan to heal from being poisoned," Jim explained. "Nyota took their daughter and went with them. Chekov assigned to help with Starfleet development in Russia, Sulu is going to be teaching Flight Training at the Academy, and Scotty is going to be dividing his time between teaching Basic Engineering and working on Starfleet Development in Scotland and, as I recall, you and Commander Archer just got married and will be hailed heroes, so the crew is fine."

McCoy swore, "Jim, what makes you think you can walk away from the ship and your crew?" he hissed angrily.

"It's my fault that Spock is recovering from a serious injury," Jim stated. "I am also to blame for the fact that T'Pol died in childbirth as well as the fact that Admiral Archer died when it should have been me."

Surprised at Jim's sudden anger, McCoy's eyes widened as Jim, who was full of anger, silently rose from his chair.

"It's been nice knowing you, Bones" Jim said, as he left the office. "I'll keep in contact from Montana."

Left alone, McCoy could only stare at the floor in shock over his friend's sudden decisions. What was going on?

* * *

It wasn't long before the Enterprise docked and the crew taken to Earth via shuttle escorts.

Eager to avoid the media fanfare, Jim had quickly chartered a private shuttle and departed for Montana, not wanting to confess his mistakes to the entire world. He also wanted to protect his sons from public scrutiny. Also, with the help of Bones, had smuggled T'Pol's body aboard and planned to bury her privately in Montana.

President Pike had put a ban on the media attacking the various crew members, only allowing them to gather in his office and receive a debriefing of events. He had first, however, sent a special woman to his home, via transporter.

Right before the press conference, however, President Pike had hastily arranged a burial ceremony for Jonathan Archer, which was held on the grounds of Starfleet Academy. Keeping a tight rein on the media proved troublesome, as the entire galaxy knew of Jonathan Archer's death and wanted no stone left unturned.

However, in that, the media had also labelled Arianne as a whore for remarrying so quickly, as they were unaware of the circumstances under which it had to happen. Nobody felt like correcting them, as the media were wolves regardless.

After being cleared by child services, the newly married Arianne and Leonard McCoy had quickly gotten aboard a shuttle and retreated to McCoy's home in San Francisco to get used to being a family, as that's what they now were.

Unable to live in such close proximity to humans now that one of his greatest friends had passed on, Phlox quickly packed his belongings, chartered a shuttle, and left Earth for the unknown parts of space.

Things were changing rapidly and would continue to do so. After all, death did not cause time to pause.

* * *

**All right. Please leave detailed reviews on the story and don't be disheartened that it's over, as I am going to work on a third one right away, which is called "Expanding the Frontier," and it takes a look into what happens in the years following the crew splitting up, the growth of the Archer children, Kirk's inner battle, President Pike's secret child, the marriage between Arianne and McCoy and, what happened to the Klingons that escaped with the Borg technology and how it affected the future! Please continue reading!**


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